Overview
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ASSIGNMENT: Please respond to the 3 classmate’s discussion post.
Maggie Michels:
Comparing Judith Butler's primary source of Gender Troubles to the secondary source of Salih's interpretation allowed me to explore the various elements each source type has to offer. A large takeaway overall was the importance of reading and utilizing original sources of information. While attempting to understand works like Butler, my goal is to focus on the author and their message, so I can then develop my own direct interpretations without the influence of another's thoughts. Similarly to how Kant wrote about in What is Enlightenment? that immaturity is not the lack of knowledge or intelligence, but rather is being unable to think for oneself without having to rely on another person for instructions or answers (Kant, 1784). In the context of understanding sociological theories, this is essential in order to continue the 'progress' which Kant also references. By teaching the same information over and over again and passing down identical interpretations of texts, original thought will be halted. Instead, Kant encouraged people to seek enlightenment through public groups and by provoking new thoughts, ideas, and ways in others. This feels similar to how universities are set up; mostly public areas where individuals with some common interest or desire come together to discuss past events and primary sources, and to possibly publish their own primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Kant builds the idea of the necessity of growing into maturity and wisdom in order to fully be able to think for oneself, by oneself (Kant, 1784). With the nature of this course, especially, I intend to rely on primary sources and will fully study and analyze them to the best of my ability before moving on to consult with secondary sources or interpretations/ summaries of sociological theory texts and published work. By witnessing how drastic a difference it is for a handful of words to be eliminated or taken out of context from a source, I aim to utilize non-primary sources as a way to build on ideas and connect my thoughts further, rather than fully absorbing another's personal interpretation as my own.
Selena Arellano:
From reading both the primary and secondary sources, I have an understanding of the pros and cons of having both texts. Secondary sources, while useful for things like easier interpretation and a quick read, leave room for misinterpretation and distance the reader away from the original author. By only reading the secondary text, we are potentially limiting ourselves from the full message the author wishes to bring. Reading Butler’s original writing, while difficult, allowed me to see the full intent of her message. The secondary source allowed for me to understand the message clearer and gave me an easier read.
In the primary source from Butler, she states that “Gender is the repeated stylization of the body, a set of repeated acts within a highly regulatory frame that congeal over time to produce the appearance of substance, of a natural sort of being.” (Butler, 1990). From my own interpretation, I believe that Butler was saying that gender is not something that we are born with; rather, it is based on social rules that are deeply embedded within our society. The ending of that sentence being “frame congeal over time to produce the appearance of substance, of a natural sort of being” (Butler, 1990). This to me meant that gender is something passed down, and the rules of what is masculine and feminine are so strongly bounded within our society that we almost see this as unchangeable. While it may seem fixed, Butler from what I interpreted believed that the social construct of gender has the ability to be altered throughout time.
After reading the secondary source, Salih goes into detail on the suggestion that “gender is not just a process, but it is a particular type of process, a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame” (Salih, 2002). Salih can express Butler’s point on gender being repeated acts and being a process that is set within our society.Her the use of words like "script" and "wardrobe" enhanced my understanding of how gender is something that is more performative and that our society has created expectations on how a person may do gender. While Salih’s interpretation of Butler’s writing has enhanced my understanding, it may not fully capture Butler’s complex meaning of gender.
Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?” went into the importance of thinking for yourself and escaping from self-caused immaturity. Kant expresses the importance of being able to form thoughts on your own and not solely relying on others to do the work for us. While Salih’s writing is good for helping guide my reading, I should ultimately be able to read and create my own interpretation of Butler’s writing.
This exercise will be useful in future assignments because I have learned the importance of both secondary and primary sources. I will now try and enhance my understanding and create my own interpretation of the primary source first rather than just jumping straight into the secondary source
Garrett Boggs:
While reading both Butlers original interpretation and Salih’s secondary interpretation, I notice how having a second or outside viewpoint can really add depth to a story, or explanation in this case. Butler describes gender as the “repeated stylization of the body”, or as Salih highlighted, “a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame”. To my understanding, Butler views gender not as a concrete truth or fact, but rather as something that has been forced upon people due to these “rigid” societal structures in place. Basically, he is stating that people are merely conforming to their everyday surroundings, much like the majority of us will comply with a traffic light (it’s the social norm).
Salih’s interpretation kept Butler’s ideas upfront and made it simpler to understand using the “wardrobe” analogies. By having a limited set of “costumes” (as Salih states), we are then forced to conform to a certain lifestyle or bodily standard. I felt like both authors pointed out the fact that gender is not one thing with a basic definition, but rather a changing conformity that relies on social norms and standards. Butler defined gender from a more political and philosophical voice, whereas Salih used a more modern and simplistic tone in the definition.
My own interpretation of what Butler meant by gender goes back to what I said, which is that gender is a natural feeling performance we put on due to societal standards and pressures. Relating this to Kant’s What is Enlightenment? He stated the importance of having our own intellectual independence. This simply means that if we rely solely on one person’s interpretation and viewpoint, we may miss out on the original meaning of the overall message. It is important to get several viewpoints on topics to understand the real meaning.