Synopsis
A theoretical work refining Butler's account of gender, arguing that the materiality of the body is itself produced through regulatory norms.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted workThe body's apparent material givenness is not prior to power but is itself materialized through the repeated force of regulatory norms.
It extends performativity to matter itself, showing how what counts as a natural body is shaped by social and discursive power.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Martha Nussbaum, Sex and Social Justice.
Reading note
Read it as advanced theory in dialogue with Gender Trouble, expecting demanding engagement with psychoanalysis and philosophy.
Best paired with
Martha Nussbaum, Sex and Social Justice