Overview
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ASSIGNMENT: Please respond to the 3 classmate’s discussion post.
Mairead Fennelly:
My viewpoint of Butler's gender theory is that gender is not innate or biologically fixed but something an individual does repetitively through actions, gestures, and behaviors. Those acts are shaped and subjected to societal rules and expectations, thereby creating the illusion that gender is a natural or stable reality. While the expressions of gender vary from one person to another, possibilities are nevertheless limited by culture in terms of what is deemed acceptable or not.
The primary source considers gender as a constructed reality formed through repetition within very rigid social boundaries, highlighting the role of power that supports these norms. The secondary source tries to simplify this position by offering the “costume and script” metaphor, and thus may, therefore, narrow the nuance of the argument by concentrating mostly on the constraining effect. My own interpretation is a synthesis of the two, preserving the notion of constraints while simultaneously providing a more balanced tradeoff between agency and social pressures.
What is Enlightenment? by Kant is related to this. Since understanding Butler calls for critical thinking rather than merely relying too heavily on experts, it is similar to the latter's defense of intellectual freedom. I will from now on, study the primary texts first, leaning on secondary sources for support, and actively comparing interpretations to create an independent conception.
Michael Bailey:
When reading the first source, it was eye-opening in a sense to read what Butler’s interpretation of gender is. My understanding of the reading was that there is no set way to behave based on gender. Butler’s interpretation signified that there was no norm to conform to and that gender is a fluid thing that can change at any moment. Gender is a construct, and gender is not something that one is, if that makes sense. Gender is something that just one does. Salih’s interpretation of gender makes it clear that both authors don’t see gender in the same way as society might see it. Gender is interchangeable. Gender is not something that is set in stone, and it’s not something that can just be defined as fact. Both authors make it clear that the views on gender were shaped by societal pressures, and those pressures became the norm culturally. My interpretation is that you can approach the topic of gender the same way you should try to approach many topics. That’s by looking at as many arguments and perspectives as possible to help form your opinion. You shouldn’t trust just one source. By trusting one source, or the first source you read, you miss out on so much more. Drawing inspiration from “What Is Enlightenment?”, I do think it’s important to think for yourself. Read, research, and come up with your interpretation, and see how that aligns with what primary source you’re reading.
Hailey Ruth:
Butler conceptualizes gender as being produced through repeated acts over time that create the illusion of a natural and stable identity. Butler would describe repeated action as producing the appearance of substance, an identity that is socially constructed. Butler's ideas do not give individuals the ability to freely choose their gender identity but rather limit gender to a range of possible expressions within a rigid regulatory framework. Salih explains that the “script” is already written, and using her wardrobe analogy, there is a narrow choice of socially sanctioned costumes to choose from. As a result, gender is less shaped by an individual's personal choice and more by the expectations and norms that govern how gender is performed.
The primary source, Butler’s Gender Troubleexcerpt, is theoretical and focuses on how gender is produced. Butler introduces the basis of the theory, the appearance of substance. The language used by Butler is academic and leaves little room for personal narrative. Salih’s interpretation, with analogies such as the “script” and “wardrobe,” makes Butler’s ideas about gender performance more tangible and accessible. This approach by Salih is easier to comprehend; however, there is a risk that some of the theoretical nuance has been overly simplified or lost. In my tertiary interpretation, I condense both sources to balance the original theoretical depth with Salih’s more accessible explanations. I retain the core ideas of Butler's original work and include the real-world analogies provided by Salih. This interpretation is filtered through my own understanding of the theory, which further risks that some nuance has been oversimplified. My interpretation is inevitably filtered through my own perspective, which may further simplify certain aspects of the theory.
This exercise reminded me how important it is to engage with the original forms of work. While it can be difficult to understand the dense theoretical writing from many sociologists, like Butler, their ideas hold important insights about the inner workings of the world through their own lens. These original works hold the complexity of the author's full intent. Filtering these ideas through secondary or tertiary interpretations removes the information further from the source, creating too much room for oversimplification. For example, Salih’s analogies make Butler’s ideas more tangible for the reader but also simplify some of the theoretical nuance in Butler’s original work. Kant’s essay What is Enlightenment? Highlights the importance of intellectual independence. Kant believes this independence relies on one's ability to understand or think without the reliance on the guidance of others, and those who are unable are labled as immature. This connects directly to the exercise and the secondary and tertiary interpretations of Bulter’s work. If I relied solely on Sahlis interpretations of Bulter’s work, I would only accept their framing of the ideas of the original work.
Moving forward in this class, I will engage with the original work before consulting any secondary or tertiary sources that interpret the theoretical writing. As Kant reminds us in What is Enlightenment?intellectual independence requires the courage to use one’s own understanding rather than relying entirely on the guidance of others. These secondary and tertiary sources are only interpretations and tools that can be used for understanding, but they are not final truths regarding the meaning of the theories.