Contre l'antisémitisme et ses instrumentalisations

by Judith Butler

Genres: Nonfiction

250 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2024

About the author

Judith Butler is an American philosopher, feminist, and queer theorist whose work has profoundly shaped gender studies, political philosophy, ethics, psychoanalysis, and literary theory. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to a Hungarian-Jewish and Russian-Jewish family, Butler was raised in a Jewish cultural and ethical environment that fostered an early engagement with philosophy, ethics, and questions of identity, attending Hebrew school and specialized ethics classes as a teenager. They studied philosophy at Bennington College before transferring to Yale University, where they earned a BA in 1978 and a PhD in 1984, focusing on German idealism, phenomenology, and French theory, including Hegel, Sartre, and Kojève. Butler taught at Wesleyan University, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins University before joining the University of California, Berkeley in 1993, where they co-founded the Program in Critical Theory, served as Maxine Elliot Professor, directed the International Consortium of Critical Theory, and also hold the Hannah Arendt Chair at the European Graduate School. Butler is best known for Gender Trouble and Bodies That Matter, works in which they introduced the theory of gender performativity, arguing that gender is constituted through repeated social acts rather than a fixed identity, a concept that became foundational in feminist and queer theory. They have also published Excitable Speech, examining hate speech and censorship, Precarious Life, analyzing vulnerability and political violence, Undoing Gender, on the social construction of sexual norms, Giving an Account of Oneself, exploring ethical responsibility and the limits of self-knowledge, and Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly, addressing public protest and collective action, while their 2020 book, The Force of Nonviolence, emphasizes ethical engagement in social and political struggles. Butler has engaged in global activism, supporting LGBTQIA rights, opposing anti-gender ideology, advocating for Palestinian rights, critiquing aspects of contemporary Israeli policy, and participating in movements such as Occupy Wall Street, while navigating controversies including critiques of their comments on Hamas and Hezbollah, debates over TERF ideology, and disputes over the Adorno Prize, illustrating the intersections of their scholarship and public interventions. Their work extends into ethical theory, exploring vulnerability, interdependence, mourning, and the recognition of marginalized lives, as well as the performative dimensions of identity and the social construction of sex and gender. They have influenced contemporary feminist, queer, and critical theory, cultural studies, and continental philosophy, shaping debates on gender, sexuality, power, and social justice, while also participating in public discourse and advocacy around education, political violence, and anti-discrimination. Butler is legally non-binary in California, uses they/them pronouns, identifies as a lesbian, and lives in Berkeley with their partner Wendy Brown and their son.

Reviews

[Edouard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le texte d’Houria ❤️

[Nad le dugong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore un banger de la part de la Fabrique, cette fois ci avec une collection d’essais autour de la question de la lutte contre l’antisémitisme et son instrumentalisation dans le contexte palestinien. Brillant ; j’ai particulièrement apprécié les essais d’Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Maxime Benatouil, Houria Bouteldja et Naomi Klein. Je recommande la lecture à toutes et tous c’est essentiel.

[Charles Taillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce livre parvient, par ses multiples approches, à faire la démonstration que les accusations d'antisémitisme émises par la droite libérale et l'extrême droite à l'encontre de celles et ceux qui se prononcent en faveur de la Palestine sont bancales. Il montre aussi bien comment la gauche affrimée se fait prendre au jeu de la droite et des médias dominant dans ce combat à armes inégales. So certes les conclusions du livres sont évidentes tant les accusations sont falacieises, la déconstruction reste centrale et pertinente.

Malgré certaines longeures et répétitions, j'ai apprécié ce livre.
4.2/5

[Pauline Magnat · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé que le livre était pas simple à lire avec des analyses parfois très meta. Je trouve aussi que l'accent est mis sur l'instrumentalisation de l'antisémitisme, notamment depuis le 7 Octobre 2023. J'aurais aimé avoir une vision plus longue de cette instrumentalisation et surtout beaucoup plus de passage sur l'antisémitisme en tant que tel qui était une de mes recherches avec ce livre : mieux comprendre et identifier les tropes antisémites.

[Willy Huynh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not an avid French reader but I do read at a native French reader and I found some texts very arduous to read. I had to reread portions multiple times to understand. This being said, the arguments and the content laid out in the book are incredibly important and nuanced of what is happening in Palestine, and the rise of anti-semitism in the world. Very well researched by authors both knowledgeable and personally accountable in the matter.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inégal mais globalement bon.

[Liam Waw · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’suis deg il est où l’article de Danyl ou il parle de sa love Story avec sa voisine d’en face qui est juive ??

[Vivian Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comecei o recesso de fim de ano com essa leitura. Dificilmente escolho leituras tranquilas para combinar com o clima ameno. As leituras mais densas são as minhas favoritas e ainda me ajudam a abstrair a agitação da praia, meu destino dos próximos dias. Dito isso, este livro foi uma ótima escolha, ao mesmo tempo em que suscitou um sentimento de impotência por eu estar vivendo em um contexto completamente oposto àquele retratado em suas páginas.

“Contra o antissemitismo e suas instrumentalizações” é um livro de ensaios de não ficção que reúne vários autores, judeus e não judeus, com o objetivo de oferecer um panorama geral sobre o antissemitismo e o sionismo, a relação entre ambos e o seu impacto nas relações políticas e humanas. Nas palavras de Judith Butler, a proposta principal é entender por que as pessoas pegam em armas, em vez de pedir que as depõem. Para isso, os autores discutem diferentes questões que antecederam e ainda orientam um dos conflitos mais latentes da nossa época, o confronto entre Israel e Palestina.

Uma opinião comum entre os autores é que a acusação de casos de antissemitismo tem sido usada como pretexto para ignorar críticas e deslegitimar a luta palestina. A recusa por parte dos israelenses em reconhecer os erros impede que o conflito tenha um fim. Para além das ações concretas realizadas, um israelense é apresentado como um colonizador, uma identidade que também age sobre o outro, continuamente.

Para eles, falta uma espécie de bússola moral para que os apoiadores desse conflito percebam que todos perdem com a luta. Defender a liberdade dos palestinos, por outro lado, é uma forma de dar chance à humanidade, arte e cultura, que são deixadas de lado enquanto o armamento se mantém como a principal forma de resistência.

“(...) Não há diferença entre o terrorista que matou sua filha e o soldado israelense que, em meio ao fechamento dos territórios ocupados, não deixou uma palestina grávida atravessar um bloqueio para chegar ao hospital, de modo que ela acabou perdendo seu filho.”