Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory

In “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution,” Butler repeatedly makes analogies to theater, acting, and the stage. The analogy of social life to the theater appears frequently in anthropology and other disciplines, but Butler uses theater as a comparison, contrast, and starting reference point.

At the beginning, when Butler discusses the various meanings of “act,” they begin by referencing theatrical “acting,” i.e., performing a non-real role often using a pre-determined script. This meaning serves as a starting point for understanding gender performance. Although Butler goes on to discuss how performative acts are constitutive—they create a phenomenologically real experience for their participants—the theatrical metaphor reminds the reader that gender has, at its core, no essential reality.

Butler also uses the theater as a point of contrast. Unlike theater, where the actor is aware that they are playing a role and of the origin of the script, in performing gender actors believe in the truth of the role they are playing and are unaware of the origins of the script they are performing. Butler points out that a theater is a space where the audience assumes they are seeing non-real events.