In Bodies That Matter, renowned theorist and philosopher Judith Butler argues th
at theories of gender need to return to the most material dimension of sex and s
exuality: the body. Butler offers a brilliant reworking of the body, examining h
ow the power of heterosexual hegemony forms the "matter" of bodies, sex, and gen
der. Butler argues that power operates to constrain sex from the start, delimiti
ng what counts as a viable sex.
She clarifies the notion of "performativity"
introduced in Gender Trouble and via bold readings of Plato, Irigaray, Lacan, an
d Freud explores the meaning of a citational politics. She also draws on documen
tary and literature with compelling interpretations of the film Paris is Burning
, Nella Larsen's Passing, and short stories by Willa Cather.
