Judith Butler: Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly – Book review

Excerpt: Judith Butler, a renowned feminist scholar, is widely recognized for her significant contributions to gender, sexuality, and queer theory. In her book Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly (2015), Butler examines the dynamics of public assemblies in an era marked by increasing precarity under neoliberal governance. Building on her earlier work on the body and performativity, Butler explores how bodies gather in public spaces as acts of resistance, focusing on how physical presence in assemblies creates a powerful form of political expression and collective resistance. Through this lens, she links her previous work on embodiment to contemporary social movements.