Enactivism and Gender Performativity
Ashby Butnor, Matthew Mackenzie
Feminist Philosophy of Mind July 7, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190867614.003.0011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that gender emerges through processes of embodied and embedded sense-making as articulated by enactive theory, and that attending to embodied values can interrupt oppressive practices and enable liberatory possibilities. |
Abstract
AbstractThe enactivist paradigm of embodied cognition represents a powerful alternative to Cartesian and cognitivist approaches in the philosophy of mind. On this view, the body plays a constitutive role in the integrated functioning of perception, affect, and other cognitive processes. Enactivism shares many of the central themes of feminist theory, and is extended to apply to social and political concerns. Following a discussion of the key components of the enactive approach, this chapter applies it to explain more complex social manifestations, specifically gender performance and its reproduction through time. By employing Judith Butler’s notion of performativity, the chapter argues that gender, as one marker of social identity and difference, emerges through processes of embodied and embedded sense-making as articulated by enactive theory. More attention to embodied and embedded values allows for the interruption and transformation of histories of oppressive practices and opens the door to more liberatory possibilities.