Judith Butler: Your Behavior Creates Your Gender | Big Think
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the concept of gender as performative, suggesting that gender is not an inherent trait but a role we play and perform, which produces societal effects. It challenges the idea of gender as a fixed identity, emphasizing its fluidity and the need to resist oppressive gender norms. The speaker recounts a personal experience to illustrate the performative nature of gender and discusses the societal pressures and institutional forces that enforce traditional gender roles, advocating for the freedom to express one's gender without violence or judgment.
Takeaways
- đ 'Gender is performed' implies that individuals adopt roles and behaviors that are associated with their gender identity.
- đ 'Gender is performative' suggests that gender is not just an act, but also a set of actions that have real effects on how we perceive and categorize people as male or female.
- đčđș The script challenges the idea that being a man or a woman is an inherent, internal reality, instead arguing that it is a social construct that is constantly being performed and reinforced.
- đŁïž The speaker recounts a personal experience to illustrate how societal expectations of gender can be both limiting and challenging, and how one's response can disrupt those expectations.
- đïž Gender norms are established and maintained through both formal institutions, like psychiatry, and informal practices, such as bullying and social stigmatization.
- đ€ The speaker questions the origins and enforcement of gender norms, highlighting the need for a critical examination of these societal constructs.
- đĄïž There is a call to resist the violence and harm caused by rigid gender norms, especially towards those who do not conform to traditional gender presentations.
- đïžââïž The script emphasizes the importance of agency and freedom in gender expression, suggesting that individuals have the power to challenge and redefine gender norms.
- đ The speaker advocates for understanding and supporting gender nonconforming individuals, recognizing the unique challenges they face in a society that often enforces strict gender roles.
- đ The concept of gender as performative implies a dynamic process where gender is not a fixed identity but something that is continually created and recreated through social interaction.
Q & A
What is the difference between saying 'gender is performed' and 'gender is performative'?
-Saying 'gender is performed' implies that one is taking on a role or acting in ways that are crucial to the gender they present. In contrast, 'gender is performative' suggests that these actions produce a series of effects, consolidating an impression of being a man or a woman.
How does the speaker describe the act of walking down the street in Berkeley?
-The speaker recounts an incident where a young woman asked if they were a lesbian, which led to a moment of reflection on how gender is perceived and the societal reactions to non-conforming gender presentations.
What was the speaker's response to the young woman's question, and why was it significant?
-The speaker responded by affirming that they were a lesbian, which shocked the young woman. This response was significant as it disrupted the expectation of harassment or stigmatization and instead took control of the narrative.
Why does the speaker argue that gender is not an internal reality?
-The speaker argues that gender is not an internal reality because it is a phenomenon that is constantly being produced and reproduced through our actions and societal norms, rather than being a fixed attribute.
What challenges do 'sissy boys' and 'tomboys' face according to the script?
-The script mentions that 'sissy boys' and 'tomboys' face social challenges such as bullying, teasing, threats of violence, and parental intervention, highlighting the difficulties of nonconforming gender presentations.
What role do institutional powers and informal practices play in maintaining gender norms?
-Institutional powers like psychiatric normalization and informal practices like bullying work to enforce gender norms and keep individuals within their expected gender roles.
How does the speaker view the establishment and policing of gender norms?
-The speaker views the establishment and policing of gender norms as problematic, questioning how these norms are set and maintained, and advocating for the disruption and overcoming of their policing function.
What does the speaker believe is the importance of resisting violence imposed by ideal gender norms?
-The speaker emphasizes the importance of resisting the violence imposed by ideal gender norms, especially against those who are gender nonconforming, to challenge and change societal expectations.
How does the speaker describe the relationship between gender and agency or freedom?
-The speaker describes gender as culturally formed but also a domain of agency or freedom, suggesting that individuals have the capacity to resist and redefine gender norms.
What is the speaker's claim about the nature of gender?
-The speaker claims that gender is not something one is from the start, but rather a performative act that is constantly produced and reproduced through actions and societal expectations.
Outlines
đ Gender as Performance and Performativity
The paragraph discusses the distinction between 'gender as performed' and 'gender as performative.' It explains that while performing gender suggests taking on a role, being performative implies that actions produce effects. The speaker recounts an incident where a young woman questioned their sexuality, and they chose to affirm their identity, which disrupted the harasser's expectations. The paragraph emphasizes that gender is not an inherent truth but a social construct that is continuously produced and reproduced. It also touches on societal pressures and the challenges faced by those who do not conform to traditional gender norms, such as sissy boys and tomboys. The speaker advocates for the disruption of gender norms and the resistance against violence imposed by ideal gender standards, particularly for those who are gender nonconforming.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄGender Performance
đĄPerformative
đĄInternal Reality
đĄAgency
đĄGender Norms
đĄNonconforming
đĄInstitutional Powers
đĄBullying
đĄStigmatization
đĄCulturally Formed
đĄDisruption
Highlights
Gender performance is distinct from gender being performative.
Performing gender involves acting in ways that align with societal expectations.
Gender performativity suggests that actions produce gendered effects.
Anecdote of being mistaken for a lesbian and the societal reaction.
The assumption that gender identity is an internal, fixed reality is challenged.
Gender is described as a phenomenon constantly being produced and reproduced.
Claim that no one is inherently a gender from birth.
Difficulties faced by gender nonconforming individuals in social settings.
Institutional and informal practices that enforce gender norms.
Questioning the establishment and policing of gender norms.
The importance of disrupting and overcoming the enforcement of gender norms.
Gender is both culturally formed and a domain of personal agency.
The necessity to resist the violence imposed by ideal gender norms.
Particular concern for those who are gender nonconforming and face societal pressures.
Transcripts
It's one thing to say that gender is performed and that is a little different from saying
gender is performative.Â
When we say gender is performed we usually mean that we've taken on a role or we're acting
in some way and that our acting or our role playing is crucial to the gender that we are
and the gender that we present to the world.Â
To say that gender is performative is a little different because for something to be performative
means that it produces a series of effects.
We act and walk and speak and talk in ways that consolidate an impression of being a
man or being a woman.
I was walking down the street in Berkeley when I first arrived several years ago and
a young woman who was I think in high school leaned out of her window and she yelled, "Are
you a lesbian?", and she was looking to harass me or maybe she was just freaked out or she
thought I looked like I probably was one or wanted to know and I thought to myself well
I could feel harassed or stigmatized, but instead I just turned around and I said yes
I am and that really shocked her.
We act as if that being of a man or that being of a women is actually an internal reality
or something that is simply true about us, a fact about us, but actually it's a phenomenon
that is being produced all the time and reproduced all the time, so to say gender is performative
is to say that nobody really is a gender from the start.Â
I know it's controversial, but that's my claim.
Think about how difficult it is for sissy boys or how difficult it is for tomboys to
function socially without being bullied or without being teased or without sometimes
suffering threats of violence or without their parents intervening to say maybe you need
a psychiatrist or why can't you be normal.
So there are institutional powers like psychiatric normalization and there are informal kinds
of practices like bullying which try to keep us in our gendered place.
I think there is a real question for me about how such gender norms get established and
policed and what the best way is to disrupt them and to overcome the police function.
It's my view that gender is culturally formed, but it's also a domain of agency or freedom
and that it is most important to resist the violence that is imposed by ideal gender norms,
especially against those who are gender different, who are nonconforming in their gender presentation.
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)