Judith Butler and Subjectivity: The Possibilities and Limits of the Human [Hardcover]

This book contextualises philosophy by bringing Judith Butlers critique of identity into dialogue with an analysis of the transgressive self in dramatic literature. The author draws on Butlers reflections on human agency and subjectivity to offer a fresh perspective for understanding the political and ethical stakes of identity as formed within a complex web of relations with human and non-human others. The book first positions a detailed analysis of Butlers theory of subject formation within a broader framework of feminist philosophy and then incorporates examples and case studies from dramatic literature to argue that the subject is formed in relation to external forces, yet within its formation lies a space for transgressing the same environments and relations that condition the subjects existence. By virtue of a fundamental dependency on conditions and relations that bring human beings into existence, they emerge as political and ethical agents capable of resisting the formative forces of power and responding  ethically  to the call of others.1. Feminist Theatre Studies and Judith Butlers Critique of Identity.- 2. Feminist Philosophy and the Controversial Judith Butler.- 3. The Ethics and Politics of Subjectivity.- 4. Subjectivity and Transgression: Two Case Studies in Drama.- 5. Conclusion: Agency and Selfhood: The Limits and Possibilities of the HumanReaders will find a welcome addition to Butlerian philosophy & . Shams delineates a way for scholars interested in feminist philosophy, theatre, or literary studies to situate their own thinking about theories of subjectivity and apply them to literary or dramatic texts. & Judith Butler and Subjectivity successfully contemplates the conditions that influence the subjects emergence. The study presents a thoughtful approach to Butlers work and exhibits a thorough understanding & . (Sharen Bart, Limina, Vol. 27 (1), 2021)Parisa Shams is an Adjunct Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia, whelÃÙ