If identity is a tentative effect of discursive activity which only appears retroactively, then what does it mean to be a Judith Butler? It is troublesome to claim to be Judith Butler even if that name has been attached to the person that I occupy whole life. Indeed, this tweet itself, which purports to assure the statement I am Judith Butler, is a manifestation of anxiety about identity. There is no Judith Butler before these tweets; it is a mere produced effect that nonetheless has socio-political consequences. If that is the case, then the fact that I am actual Judith Butler fails to provide any material or discursive guarantee. In fact, there is always the possibility of impersonation: what if a person other than myself is using discursive strategies to be me. That possibility exposes the fact that I, actual Judith Butler, has always been impersonating Judith Butler. If, as I am, someone is subject to the interpellation, to the hailing, "Hi Judy," from behind and if she makes a 180 degree turn it does not necessarily imply total surrender to ideology; the subject so produced still can maneuver to take advantage of the imposed subject position. To take up a personal example, people [in Japan] worship Judith Butler without bothering to read her books, so they offered me a free trip there. Being an impersonator of Judith Butler, I took that offer of luxurious travel, enjoyed meals, and went to Akihabara. They asked me to give a lecture, but it was no big deal;since no one there actually reads my books, I got away with just reading aloud a manuscript of a chapter that had already been published. They seemed to like it; I got applause from an audience of more than a thousand. Kazuko Takemura was my host. She was using her students like slaves. But it was OK because she acted like a slave to me. Anyway, I recommend a trip to Japan for fellow American professors; there you sort of feel like you were a French.
2/02/2010
Judith Butler Impersonation
The following is my attempt at Judith Butler impersonation at my twitter, inspired by the Habermas imposter:
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