ANTH 303 Anthropological Theory Fall 2018
17 Oct.:  Performance and culture
READ Butler, Judith (1988) “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Theatre Journal.  40(4): 519-531. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/320789 3 .


The following questions will help guide our discussion as we try to make sense of this, and other, theories. In addition, we will apply the theory to the video shown in the first day of class:

How can this theory be seen as a product of the historical period in which it was created?
What questions does this theory ask?
What information does this theory see as important?
What are other relevant assumptions made by the theory?
How does the theory analyse this information to answer the questions it sees as important?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach?

Some concepts from Butler:
- phenomenology defined as taking “the social agent as an object rather than as the subject of constitutive acts” (p. 519)
- gender (but not as opposed to sex)
- a complete rejection of socio-biological perspectives
- gender as constructing and being constructed by performance
- this can be used to explain culturally developed binary gender models and assumption of heterosexuality
- script provided by culture, and individual is constrained to perform role through repeated action; thus some individuality is possible but within a restricted range or subject to punishment [note this perspective on the relationship between agency and structure]
- understanding of “history” as culture
- while notes metaphor of theatre, notes that theatrical performance can be less threatening
- rejects idea that there can be a universal connection among women; suggests, citing Kristeva, that “strictly speaking, women cannot be said to exist” (p. 529)
- concerned about a feminist politics that reifies gender; need to develop a critical genealogy of gender and examine the reifications that serve as the basis for gender construction
    - thus, does not approve of a feminist politics that is based on essential differences between men and women; rather, wants to work toward recognition of multiplicity.
    - is concerned that the vocabulary used to analyse gender will inscribe particular categories of difference.

Applying Butler to the video:
- how is each actor performing gender?