“For power to be withdrawn, power itself would have to be understood as the retractable operation of volition; indeed, the heterosexual contract would be understood to be sustained through a series of choices, just as the social contract in Locke or Rousseau is understood to presuppose the rational choice or deliberate will of those it is said to govern. If power is not reduced to volition, however, and the classical liberal and existential model of freedom is refused, then power relations can be understood, as I think they ought to be, as constraining and constituting the very possibilities of volition. Hence, power can neither be withdrawn nor refused, but only redeployed.”
Quote by Judith Butler
Work
Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity
This seminal text delves into the complexities of gender identity, challenging conventional notions of masculinity and femininity. It examines the ways in which society constructs and enforces gender norms, and argues for the importance of recognizing the fluidity and diversity of gender experiences. more
Author
Judith Butler
Judith Butler is a renowned philosopher, born on February 24, 1956. Her research focuses on issues of gender, identity, and power, having a profound impact on postmodernism and gender theory. more
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