Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex

Why does Butler insist on the relationship between sex and gender? In what aspects are the two terms similar, and how can they be understood through Butler’s theory of performativity?

How do discursive categories of identity, such as “women” and “LGBTQ+” function in society, and how does Butler think these categories can be strategically mobilized for political action?

What does Luce Irigaray mean by the term “phallogocentrism”? How does Butler use Irigaray’s term to rethink the idea of sexual difference? What, if any, importance does Butler give to sexual difference?

How does Butler use the term “abjected” in relation to the construction of gender in society? Is this term still valuable today, in the digital world, when individuals can connect with others who share identities and cultural values?

Why is Butler critical of Freud’s theory of libido? What does it mean that Freud’s text has a “metonymic trajectory” (104)?

What is the difference between the terms “penis” and “phallus”? How does Butler use this distinction to create the term “lesbian phallus”?

What is the difference between Žižek’s and Butler’s understanding of the political signifier? Why does Butler insist on the reconfiguration of this Lacanian term in terms of its political potential?

How does Butler include race in the discussion of performativity? What role does the character Clare play in Butler’s reading of Nella Larsen’s Passing? How does she use her reading of this character to discuss the intersectional character of race and gender?