Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex

AUTHOR: Judith Butler
PUBLISHER: Routledge
LANGUAGE: English
DATE: 1993
PAGES: 304
ISBN: 9780415903660

Publisher’s Description

In Bodies That Matter, renowned theorist and philosopher Judith Butler argues that theories of gender need to return to the most material dimension of sex and sexuality: the body. Butler offers a brilliant reworking of the body, examining how the power of heterosexual hegemony forms the “matter” of bodies, sex, and gender. Butler argues that power operates to constrain sex from the start, delimiting what counts as a viable sex. She clarifies the notion of “performativity” introduced in Gender Trouble and via bold readings of Plato, Irigaray, Lacan, and Freud explores the meaning of a citational politics. She also draws on documentary and literature with compelling interpretations of the film Paris is Burning, Nella Larsen’s Passing, and short stories by Willa Cather.

Library Notes

Paperback. Purchased used by the library with founder’s funds.

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