Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (Routledge Classics)

This book is a seminal work that challenges conventional notions of gender and identity. Butler's writing is both intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking, offering a deep analysis of how gender is constructed and performed in society. Her ideas have had a profound impact on feminist theory and have sparked important conversations about gender norms and roles. One of the strengths of "Gender Trouble" is Butler's ability to deconstruct complex ideas in a way that is accessible to readers. She uses a mix of philosophical inquiry, literary theory, and political analysis to explore the ways in which gender is enforced and resisted. Her argument that gender is performative, meaning that it is something we do rather than something we are, is particularly compelling and has influenced a generation of scholars and activists. However, some readers may find Butler's writing style dense and challenging at times, especially if they are not familiar with the theoretical frameworks she draws upon. Additionally, her ideas have been critiqued for being overly abstract and disconnected from the experiences of marginalized individuals. Overall, "Gender Trouble" is a groundbreaking work that continues to be relevant today. It is essential reading for anyone interested in feminist theory, gender studies, or the politics of identity.

This was one of my first toe-dippings into feminist thought. I’m acquainted with a wide range of philosophical sub-disciplines (phenomenology, German idealism, post-colonial studies, etc), but feminist thought was fairly new to me. Beware, Butler is not pop-philosophy; she is a serious academic covering a wide range of thinkers such as Lacan, Irigaray, Freud, and others in very technical language. I disagree with those tho say she is purposefully convoluted in her syntax and diction—in a manner not too dissimilar from those accusations volleyed against Hegel. Her language is very precise and adequately, not only sums up, but picks apart very complex ideas such as Lacan’s phallogocentrism, the Oedipus Complex’s creation of gender, various feminist movements seeking to ground femininity in a universal female identity, etc. Butler’s project is nothing less than to expand upon the idea of the gender spectrum in a philosophically rigorous way. She envisions a future for feminist which is coalitional, in which identity’s fluidity is accepted and utilized as the ultimate backbone to representation. While she also only mentions the idea of gender identity being fluid rather briefly, it’s safe to say that this is also a key element of her work here. The book is structured exceptionally, examining a number of different philosophers’ conceptions of gender and dismantling them and then gradually synthesizing a fuller theory of gender as a fictitious category used to bare certain people’s ability to be represented. Please read this, it’s definitely worth the time!

Butler gets a lot of flak for being a dense writer, and has "won" some award for being the most indecipherable to read; it's a lot of hype. She is not easily accessible but with some work you can get at it. This isn't the place for a full on analysis, review & such, that you can find elsewhere alongside critiques. Bottom-line if you're interested in postmodern/poststructural approaches in a gender/queer theory discourse this is a good book to read.

I'm no expert but I'm reminded of what a friend once confessed to me: it's hard talking about gender without it turning into a freak show. To her credit, Judith Butler speaks sincerely, with great subtlety, about a very touchy subject. Nevertheless, when you consider that words like "sex," "heterosexual," and "homosexual" are hardly a century old, you have to ask why do they seem so certain, so meaningful, so permanent and timeless? Why is it so hard to consider these words as concealing rather than revealing? In the tradition of Marx and Foucault, Butler begins to demystify their credibility and reveals how gender is something which is 'performative'. By this, she does not mean like a role which is donned (though those who don reveal) but rather as a repetitive, cultural activity from which identity is derived. This work is thought to be the beginning of 'queer theory.'

The crux of Gender Trouble is Butler's challenge to feminists to take on the task of revealing the ways the gender binary of male/female is produced, regulated, and naturalized instead of simply reifying this binary by making “women” the subject of feminism. After all, it's this very binary that has led to the oppression of half the population. Butler argues that feminists should shun an identity-based politics focused on representation and unity and, instead, embrace a politics directed at achieving concrete goals. By not demanding people adopt a unified identity, this type of open coalition is less coercive and repressive, particularly for those individuals who have other marginalized identities related to race, class, or disability status. Butler argues if gender—masculinity and femininity—is understood to be a cultural construct, it’s reasonable to propose that physical bodies are defined through this same cultural lens. Hence, gender is not the cultural interpretation of an essential sex; sex itself is a gendered category. Butler presents the concept of the “matrix of intelligibility” whereby individuals only become intelligible by conforming to the cultural expectations of gender, sex, and desire where biological sex determines gender, and sex and gender determine desire—i.e. sexual orientation. She points out that the fact that many people do not conform to this matrix is not a failure on the part of these individuals; rather, their very existence challenges the validity of this matrix. It's in this book that Butler introduces her original concept of "gender performativity," which is the idea that the constant repetition of stylized acts creates the illusion that there is a substantive gender. In other words, gender is real only to the extent that it's continually performed. And all of us are performing gender in response to the cultural norms that exist, whether we are each aware of doing so as a transgender person or not aware of doing so as a cisgender person. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it’s so difficult to understand. However, if these ideas interest you, then it's well worth your time to give it a try.

Butler takes us on a journey through interrogating what gender means. Recommended as a research and theory book or for anyone interested in the very current topic of gender studies.

This book is very dense and difficult to get through. However, if you stick with it, you'll be glad you did! Butler presents very compelling arguments about gender, sexuality, and gender construction/performance, that will definitely alter the way you think about gender.

Reading it seems dated now but it's such a classic, anyone interested in gender studies should have a copy of this book... even though it's almost impossible to read. The cover has a pleasing rubbery/matte finish too.

Needed for a university class, good quality book, long read lol

でも、subjectは主体、主語、家来の意味があり、翻訳すると難しくなるのかも。

Non produit

THE book to read before delving into gender theory. Of course Showalter, Wittig and Irigaray should be read first, at least partially, but Gender Trouble is certainly the book right after them. This is an academic work and those who bemoan the lack of easily understandable writing style should keep this in mind. It was written for an academic environment. I'm not saying that it's an impossible reading otherwise, certain passages are more straightforward than others, but keeping its origin in mind, in my opinion, can help with some of the more scholarly ponderings.

Dieses Werk kann als Grundlagenwerk für moderne Gender-Studies gesehen werden. Die Lektüre ist für Anfänger durchaus aufwandreich, nichtsdestotrotz lässt sich an diesem Buch eine komplexe Argumentationsstruktur lernen; wie auch Butler meisterhaft vormacht, wie man sich durch mehrere (vornehmlich psychoanalytische und feministische) Theorien durcharbeiten kann, die Argumentation nicht vereinfacht, obwohl die Theorie im Verlauf erklärt wird. Für die richtigen Leser eine wahre Freude. Konträr zur populären Meinung, vertritt Butler keine Differenz von Sex und Gender, sondern vielmehr den Standpunkt, dass selbst Sex eine performativ konstruierte Kategorie ist. Dieses Buch macht diese These selbst anhand von biologischer Forschung plausibel.