On prend pour point de départ le constat d'une résistance dans la réception marxiste française de la thèse féministe de Judith Butler portant sur la construction discursive du «sexe» par le «genre». L'antagonisme apparent du matérialisme et du constructivisme, révélé par la réception française de Trouble dans le genre, invite à chercher, en amont, une solution matérialiste au problème épistémologique de la construction conceptuelle du donné. En remontant à la source de Marx, on peut montrer que sa pensée a nourri, chez Althusser et Foucault, une approche matérialiste du discours qu'on peut qualifier de constructiviste. Au prisme de l'épistémologie historique de Canguilhem, se dessinent des parentés entre Althusser et Foucault qui donnent une postérité inédite à Marx: l'exploration de deux figures du «matérialisme discursif» dans l'archéologie foucaldienne et l'épistémologie althussérienne, permet de rendre caduques les objections empiristes à l'idée d'une construction discursive du« sexe». L'objectif est de proposer une articulation entre le matérialisme marxiste et la pensée queer, en mettant au jour une tradition de pensée qui croise les apports de l'épistémologie historique et du matérialisme, et prend au sérieux la production de la nature et du corps par le discours. Il s'agit de donner à la thèse de Butler les conditions de son audibilité matérialiste et de déterminer en retour la fécondité de sa mise en question du donné pour le marxisme. / This analysis starts by pointing out a reluctance in the French Marxist reception of Judith Butler's feminist theories, mainly those regarding the discursive construction of « sex » by «gender». This apparent conflict between materialism and constructivism encourages us to look upstream for a materialistic solution to the epistemological issue of the conceptual construction of «facts». By getting back at the root of Marx, one can indeed show that his thought has provided input into Althusser's and Foucault's reflections for the development of a materialistic approach of discourse, which may be qualified as contructivist. In the light of Canguilhem's historical epistemology, some philosophical kinship between Althusser and Foucault takes shape, which provides a previously unseen posterity to Marx : the examination of two features of «discursive materialism» in Foucault's archeology and in Althusser's epistemology enables to make null and void the empiricist objections at the idea of a discursive construction of «sex». The goal is to pro vide a philosophical junction between Marxist materialism and queer theory, by highlighting a tradition of thought which combines the contributions of historical epistemology and materialism, and which takes seriously into consideration the production of nature and body by discourse. The goal is to provide Butler's theory with the means to be heard as a materialistic account, and in return to specify for marxism what it might gain when this theory challenges the given facts.

Companies in the fashion industry are constantly facing new challenges. Recently, a debate has been raised about how fashion companies communicate gender. A debate that critically reviews how companies maintain a certain gender stereotype about how women and men should appear and perform. The gender stereotypes in these cases are primarily portrayed through communication in the form of advertising, through employees and in stores. Businesses in the fashion market tend to segment their products and their range towards gender, rather than to the consumer as an individual. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how consumers and a fashion company relate to gender, performativeness and clothing, in order to locate how fashion industry players can contribute or counteract the creation of gender stereotypes through their actions in fashion. To investigate this, potential consumers and a representative from the company Hope have been interviewed. Hope is a Swedish company that offers high quality Scandinavian fashion. The company has a critical view of the fashion industry's binary assortment and applies innovative business strategies to boost equality in the fashion industry. The potential consumers who have participated in the study through focus-groups have been given the opportunity to discuss how a gender-neutral assortment would be perceived, and to assess it in different contexts. The results from the interviews were synthesized in theoretical models which were inspired by Judith Butler's theories about gender and performativity. Butler's research lack guidance regarding application through practical means and therefore theoretical models were created. These theoretical models can be applied to other studies regarding gender and performance theory. The results of the study points to a non-binary fashion industry, where the conventional binary assortments have not been reduced, but has been modified to fit and satisfy more consumers on an individual level. There are also indications that a non-binary selection, which Hope has produced, can come to be a competitive business plan as it is not a costly change of direction. The non-binary selection can result in changed views regarding normative gender classification and contribute to a new standard in stereotypical constructions. / Företag som befinner sig i modebranschen står ständigt inför nya utmaningar. På senare tid har en debatt lyfts kring hur modeföretag kommunicerar genus. En debatt som ser kritiskt på hur företag upprätthåller en viss genusstereotyp kring hur kvinnor och män bör se ut och vara. Genusstereotypen i dessa fall porträtteras främst genom kommunikation i form av reklam, genom anställda samt i butik. Företag på modemarknaden tenderar att segmentera sina produkter och sitt sortiment mot kön, snarare än mot konsumenten som individ. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur konsumenter och ett modeföretag förhåller sig till genus, performativitet och kläder, för att kunna lokalisera hur aktörer i modebranschen kan bidra eller motverka till skapandet av genusstereotyper genom sitt handlande kring mode. För att undersöka detta har potentiella konsumenter samt en representant från företaget Hope intervjuats. Hope är ett svenskt företag som erbjuder skandinaviskt mode i hög kvalité. Företaget ser kritiskt till modebranschens könsindelning och arbetar med innovativa affärsstrategier för att öka jämställdheten i modebranschen. De potentiella konsumenter som deltagit i studien har i fokusgrupper fått diskutera hur ett könsöverskridande sortiment hade upplevts samt hur det kan värderas på olika nivåer.Resultatet från intervjuerna syntetiserades sedan i teoretiska modeller som har inspirerats av Judith Butlers teorier om kön och performativitet. Eftersom Butlers modeller saknar vägledning om hur de ska tillämpas praktiskt fick teoretiska modeller formuleras, vilka kan komma att tillämpas vid andra studier där man praktiskt vill tillämpa Butlers teorier. Studiens resultat visar för en framtida könsneutral modebransch, där den konventionella könsindelningen inte reducerats men modifierats för att passa och tillfredsställa fler konsumenter på en individuell nivå. Undersökningen påvisar även indikationer på att ett könsöverskridande sortiment, likt det Hope tagit fram, kan komma att bli konkurrenskraftigt då det för företaget inte heller är en kostsam innovation. Det könsöverskridande sortimentet kan resultera i en förändrad syn på normer om vad som är kvinnligt och manligt och kan därför ge effekten av reducering av stereotypa föreställningar.

Using a method of reflexive ethnography, this thesis deals with a question of masculinity performace in the Czech extreme metal milieu (to be specific I am concerned with the brutal death metal and related sub-genres). Participants of the brutal death metal subculture either in the position of performers or audience are with a very few exceptions men. Brutality, harshness, extremeness and other values are the main aesthetic criteria, which - as we can observe while doing the research - the participants connect with a coherent collection of ideas about a certain ideal of dominant manhood. To achieve these values to the greatest extent possible the musicians use particular musical features and topics of the compositions; and so does both the musicians and the audience via their visual image, with using specific kind of behaviour and having fixed movements and dancing during the music production. On the basis of an analysis of these values and means of their manifestation I am concerned with the question of what specific characteristics the masculine identity, which is performed in the given subculture, has. My research data show that these are: 1) mutual affinity with the other participants, 2) power as an ability of an aggressive attack as well as one's own endurance, and 3) coarseness, lack of...

The main aim of this diploma thesis is to analyze the problem of anorexia from Foucault's perspective. The first hypothesis is that this 'pathology' is rather a social construction which has its origins in social norms and standards that operate in the society to make firm distinction between the normal and the pathological, the ideal and the unacceptable. In this study we will use Foucault's theory of power and discipline, the concept of biopower and also his critics of psychiatry. At the same time, we will complete our survey with the concept of construction and deconstruction of Jacques Derrida and with the social identity theory of Judith Butler.

This paper examines the Church of Sweden’s changing approach to same-sex marriage from a queer theoretical and queer theological perspective. A discourse analytical method examines the previous discourse and how it has come to change over time. The analysis takes place among the statements that priests, bishops, and other theologians have expressed in the public debate, the Church’s theological committee and the church meetings that take place every year. The study also addresses the changes and explanations of the new Church Handbook based on a theological statement. The queer theoretical basis is based on Michel Foucault and Judith Butler's foundations for the theory and culminates in two explanatory models. The study's stated aim of investigating the Discourse of the Church of Sweden also lands in how the Swedish Church responds to National Socialist and value conservative forces in society such as the Sweden Democrats.The Church of Sweden’s policy to flag with the rainbow flag and meet homophobic expressions in both the society as in its own ranks.

[pt] A solidariedade enquanto um sentimento de união que se traduz em ações de cooperação social surge como um dos imperativos do século XXI, especialmente enquanto uma demanda atrelada ao caso dos refugiados. Na crise humanitária de migração em curso, apreendida no contexto global mais abrangente de ascensão da intolerância e do discurso anti-imigratório, aludiu-se a uma crise de solidariedade. Entendendo que a própria solidariedade está em crise, a presente pesquisa pretende explorar os contornos da solidariedade humana utilizando o arquétipo do refugiado como paradigmático, sobretudo em virtude do privilégio epistêmico que este representa enquanto contato necessário com a alteridade que se apresenta de maneira inadiável. Argumenta-se pelo resgate normativo da solidariedade através da alteridade, em lugar da semelhança, sendo tal consideração imprescindível para o revigoramento do conceito em questão. Para tal, será apresentado um panorama geral sobre a solidariedade, em conexão com a figura do refugiado e a crise atual. Em seguida, se fará a exposição de algumas teses contemporâneas de solidariedade humana com base nas formulações de Judith Butler, explorando conceitos chaves como precariedade, luto e coabitação. / [en] Solidarity, understood as a sense of unity that translates into actions of social cooperation, emerges as one of the imperatives of the twenty-first century, especially as a demand tied to the case of the refugees. The ongoing humanitarian migration crisis, seized in the broader global context of the rise of intolerance and anti-immigration discourse, alluded to a crisis of solidarity. Understanding that the concept of solidarity itself is in crisis, this research intends to explore the contours of human solidarity by using the archetype of the refugee as paradigmatic, justified by the epistemic privilege regarding the necessary contact with otherness that unavoidably presents itself. Solidarity must be reconstructed in normative terms through the concept of otherness rather than sameness; this consideration is essential for the reinvigoration of the concept. To do so, I will present a general overview of solidarity, in connection with the figure of the refugee and the current crisis. Subsequently, I will introduce a few contemporary theses of human solidarity based on Judith Butler s formulations, exploring key concepts such as precariousness, grievability and cohabitation.

The aim of this essay is to deepen the philosophical feminist discussion of the concepts sex and gender by doing a new reading of Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex. The analysis takes its point of departure from Judith Butler's "Sex and gender in Simone de Beauvoir's Second Sex" (1986) and Moira Gatens' "On Beauvoir and biology: a second look" (2003). This means that my overall inquiry is opened up by the question if, and in that case how, The Second Sex can be said to offer other interpretations than those presented by Butler and Gatens. I analyze Butler and Gatens' interpretations in terms of how their arguments are built up, in order to lay out the ground for my own, alternative reading. I formulate two questions, related to my initial analysis of Butler and Gatens: Does Beauvoir make a distinction between nature and culture which effects the understanding of the existent as a sexed, situated being? What implication does her existential-phenomenological perspective have for the image of the body and the creation of meaning? My reading suggests that Beauvoir's existential-phenomenological perspective can illuminate the concept of gender through pointing out how the beings of woman and man are rooted in, and develop out of, humanity's quest for being. This is a theme I find rather undeveloped in Butler and Gatens' articles. The sexed, bodily being of the subject is actualized as the source of meaning in this primary quest. Body and sexuality make up the expression of the existent, and therefore must be studied with regards to how meaning is created and carried out by them. I argue that Beauvoir's ideas of corporeality, disclosing of being and transcendence deepen the concept of gender in giving an ontological context to the beings of woman and man. I also claim that gender, in itself, is a useful concept in designating the dynamic, contingent and culturally dependent quality of these beings. This does not support, however, the view that Beauvoir makes a sex/gender distinction along the lines of a separation of nature and culture. The relevance of gender lies in its ability to highlight that the beings of woman and man manifest certain characters.

This two-year master thesis in Library and information science, explores how femininity is created within the librarian profession year 1900-1930 in Sweden. By using three Swedish female librarians as case studies I study how female librarians responded to norms for women within the profession. I also ask if the librarians were able to break these norms or if the standards for women formed how the librarian profession was shaped.The thesis has a queer theoretical framework and uses hermeneutic methodology together with Judith But-lers performativity theory and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivaks deconstruktivism. Queer theory and hermeneutic methodology can be used on historical sources to gain new perspectives and still be aware of the ideals and norms that existed within the historical period. I use “woman” and “femininity” as socially constructed gender categories that changes according to the context they are created within and in relation to.My main source material consists of articles and letters written by the librarians together with a rich materi-al of women’s rights history and Swedish public library history. By using the female librarians own words I try to get a first-hand perspective, described by the women who worked and lived as librarians during the first dec-ades of the 20th century. They worked in an important and ground-breaking time for public libraries and wom-en´s self-sufficiency.My thesis shows that the female librarians used different pronouns and adjectives to describe their profes-sion depending on which context they spoke or published their texts. Greta Linder, Hildur Lundberg and Maria Larsen used different strategies to survive within the profession. In some cases, it was important to emphasize the category “woman”, but in many cases their professional identity as librarians was of greater significance. As self-sufficient and unmarried librarians, they could create other possibilities than within the limited space that existed for married women.

This poststructuralist research into managerial subjectivity follows ten senior managers’ experience, during significant organizational restructuring in the National Health Service. Located in the North of England the managers were interviewed three times during an eighteen-month period. An autoethnographic component is integral to the study; this recognises the researcher was a practising manager undergoing the same organizational change, whilst researching the field. Judith Butler’s theories provide the principle theoretical framework for the study. Whilst the managers narrated a fantasy of having a ‘true’ and coherent self, the research illustrated how fragile, fleeting and temporary each managerial self is and how passionately attached to their managerial subjectivity (despite how painful) they were. Emotion is presented as inextricably tied up with gender performativity and managerial subjectivity; despite best efforts the emotional ‘dirt’ of organizations cannot be ordered away; there is a constant seepage and spillage of emotion – as illustrated in the vignettes and profiled in the Butlerian deconstruction. During organizational change there was a fear of a social (organizational) death and even the most senior of managers were profoundly vulnerable. This fear and vulnerability heightened in contact with others perceived as more powerful (in critical conversations and interviews). Failure to receive the desired recognition and the risk of being organizationally unintelligible compounded this vulnerability and triggered recurrent, unpredictable patterns of loss, ek-stasis and unravelling of the managerial self. This acute vulnerability during restructuring anticipates and therefore (re) enacts a Machiavellian discourse, one that excuses unethical behaviour and relations as a ‘necessary evil’.

The aim of this essay is to study constructions of femininity and sexuality in Sara Stridsberg’s novel Darling River (2010). The analysis is based on queer theory and the term ’skev’ – a variation of ’queer’ that allows one to focus on additional forms of normativity apart from sexual desire – and examines how the characters of the novel are challenging the heteronormative framework by performing gender and sexuality in non-normative, subversive ways. In short, I discuss how the relationship between femininity, body and destiny is being portrayed, how the characters question heteronormativity by overdoing femininity, and by being unable (unwilling) to perform adult femininity. I also show how the novel constitutes non-normative sexuality in, for example, incestuous, non-reproductive and non-monogamous ways. Furthermore, I locate queer leakages in the text, and discuss how the characters relate to objectification and agency.