[lbo-talk] Butler

Seth Ackerman sethackerman1 at verizon.net
Tue Jun 3 22:22:02 PDT 2008


Doug Henwood quoted Judith Butler:


> In relation to sex, then, if one concedes the materiality of sex or
> of the body, does that very conceding operate - performatively - to
> materialize that sex? And further, how is it that the reiterated
> concession of that sex - one which need not take place in speech or
> writing but might be "signaled" in a much more inchoate way -
> constitutes the sedimentation and production of that material effect?
>

Oh, if only the Holocaust deniers learned to talk like Judith Butler - they would have so much more success in the academy!...


> In relation to the Holocaust, then, if one concedes the reality of the
> Holocaust or of the gas chambers, does not that very conceding operate
> - performatively - to make real that Holocaust? And further, how is it
> that the reiterated concession of that Holocaust - one which need not
> take place in speech or writing but might be "signaled" in a much more
> inchoate way - constitutes the sedimentation and production of that
> reality effect?

They would just have to stop using ALL CAPS and exclamation points!!!! and start just writing badly.

Seth



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