American philosopher and gender theorist, considered by many as “one of the most influential voices in contemporary political theory,” and as the most widely read and influential gender theorist in the world.
Butler’s work has had a significant influence on the fields of feminist, queer, and literary theory, philosophy, political philosophy, and ethics. She is perhaps best known for her works Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990, 2007) and Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex” (1993, 2011), where she challenges the sex/gender distinction and develops her theory of gender performativity. Indeed, Butler’s conception of gender performativity has shaped the scholarship of an entire generation in feminist and queer studies.
Butler’s other books include Subjects of Desire: Hegelian Reflections in Twentieth Century France (1987, 1999), Excitable Speech: A Politics of the Performative (1997), The Psychic Life of Power: Theories in Subjection (1997), Antigone’s Claim: Kinship Between Life and Death (2000), Undoing Gender (2004), Precarious Life: Powers of Violence and Mourning (2004), Giving an Account of Oneself (2005), Krieg und Affect (2009), Frames of War: When is Life Grievable? (2009), Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly (2015) and The Force of Nonviolence (2020).
Butler’s books have been translated into numerous languages; Gender Trouble, alone, has been translated into twenty-seven different languages.
Butler has also been outspoken on many contemporary political issues. She has been active in lesbian and gay human rights, and, more recently, has engaged with the question of Palestine/Israel. Butler is a vocal critic of Israeli politics and has repeatedly emphasized that Israel does not represent all Jews. Her monograph regarding this issue is Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (2012).
Butler is a lesbian, legally non-binary, and goes by she or they pronouns, but said in 2020 that they prefer “they”, and indicated that they were “never at home” with being assigned “female” at birth. They live in Berkeley, California with their partner Wendy Brown and son, Isaac.
Link to Wikipedia biography