Judith Butler argues that heterosexual hegemony actively constructs the material reality of bodies, sex, and gender. She examines the mechanisms through which this power operates at the most fundamental, material dimensions of human physicality and sexuality, building upon her prior work on gender theory.
This book analyzes how social power solidifies biological sex and gender into specific forms, demonstrating that what is understood as "matter" in relation to sex and gender is produced through discursive limits. Readers will understand the process by which heterosexual norms shape the very substance of our embodied existence.
Key concepts
- Heterosexual hegemony — The dominant power structure that shapes and enforces heterosexual norms.
- Discursive limits — The boundaries and constraints imposed by language and discourse that define what is considered real or possible.
- The matter of bodies — The material substance of bodies as understood and formed by social and political forces.
- Sex and gender formation — The processes through which biological sex and social gender are constituted.
From the book
Description: The author of "Gender Trouble" further develops her distinctive theory of gender by examining the workings of power at the most material dimensions of sex and sexuality. Butler examines how the power of heterosexual hegemony forms the matter of bodies, sex, and gender.
Snippet: Butler examines how the power of heterosexual hegemony forms the matter of bodies, sex, and gender.