Changing Signs: The Political Pragmatism of Poststructuralism

Authors: Brookey R.A.¹; Miller D.H.²

Source: International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies, Volume 6, Numbers 1-2, April 2001 , pp. 139-153(15)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

In a recent issue of The New Republic, Martha Nussbaum singled out Judith Butler for a particularly venomous attack. Nussbaum's criticism was very simple: good theory leads to practical political action, and Butler's theories do not. Nussbaum's criticism of Butler echoes a general criticism leveled against the emerging field of queer theory. Many advocates of sexual rights have suggested that poststructuralist approaches do not have practical political application. In this essay, the authors argue that Butler's work points to a new political pragmatism. In the past, many advocates of sexual rights have focused on essentialized notions of sexual identity. A politically pragmatic approach, informed by Butler's theories, can shift the debate so that the issue of homophobic discrimination, rather than sexual identity, becomes a primary focus of the sexual rights movement.

Keywords: sexual rights; gay and lesbian rights; identity politics; Judith Butler; Martha Nussbaum

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, College of Public Programs, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona; Robert.Brookey@asu.edu. 2: Department of Speech Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Publication date: 2001-04-01