Between buzzwords and bodies: investigating the ambiguities of Allyship with Judith Butler’s relational thinking

Date
2020-12
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis aims to investigate and deepen the concept of “allyship” from a relational lens. By asking how feminist philosopher Judith Butler’s relational thinking might offer a more nuanced account of allyship, I suggest that there are certain limitations within the current academic and social discourse surrounding allyship, particularly concerning acts of public assembly in the form of protest action. These limitations are identified based on the “surplus in meaning” that stems from ambiguous acts of allyship on an ontological, ethical and political level, as informed by both my personal experience during protest action and the specific case study of the “human shield” as a perceived act of allyship. Every focal point of this thesis, therefore, seeks to sketch how Butler’s relational thinking can offer a helpful lexicon to engage fruitfully with the ambiguities of allyship. In Chapter Two, I set out to explain what constitutes Butler’s relational thinking. By providing a broader overview of her theoretical oeuvre, I frame Butler’s relational thinking as an intertwined account of ontology, ethics, and politics. I then continue to discuss each of these three aspects respectively. In doing so, I point out that Butler’s relational ontology offers an alternative ontology against sovereign subjectivity; a distinct account of the Butlerian subject (as always in process, discursive, performative, and opaque); and a social ontology that is embodied. I also show how Butler’s relational ethics advocates for “the liveable life” that seeks to reduce precarity by focusing on our shared sense of precariousness and responsibility for the other. Lastly, I claim that Butler’s constructivist account of political agency translates into a politics of subversion that can offer new ways of considering transformative political action. Having provided a clear understanding of what Butler’s relational thinking entails, Chapter Three aims to pave the way towards considering how Butler’s relational thinking can be traced within her thoughts on public assembly and alliances. Specifically, this chapter provides a thematic exploration of Butler’s book Notes Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly (2015) as a potentially fruitful source with the broader problem of the allyship discourse in mind. In doing so, I explore Butler’s politics of precarity and vulnerability; her ontological understanding of alliances as uneasy and unpredictable; and her ethics of cohabitation that centre around our obligations towards unchosen others. Finally, Chapter Four provides a more concrete analysis of the allyship discourse with Butler’s established relational lens. By drawing out the themes of “privilege”, “support”, and “action” from the prevailing definition of allyship, I identify the ontological, ethical and political shortcomings and assumptions within the allyship discourse. Through this, I argue that the allyship discourse perpetuates sovereign subjectivity, overly simplistic and dichotomous thinking, as well as narrow understandings of support and action. In contrast, I show how Butler’s relational thinking can avoid these shortcomings as it allows for more dynamic, intersectional, interdependent, uneasy, unpredictable and embodied ways of understanding allyship. In this way, Butler provides a theoretical lexicon that can speak to the “surplus in meaning” of allyship by critically emphasising – and embracing– what happens between bodies and buzzwords.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die begrip bondgenootskap (allyship) vanuit 'n relasionele lens te ondersoek en te verdiep. Deur te vra hoe die feministiese filosoof, Judith Butler, se relasionele denke 'n meer genuanseerde weergawe van bondgenootskap kan bied, stel ek voor dat daar sekere beperkings is binne die huidige akademiese en sosiale diskoers rondom bondgenootskap, veral met betrekking tot openbare byeenkomste in die vorm van protesaksie. Hierdie beperkinge word geïdentifiseer met verwysing na die "oorskot in betekenis" wat voortspruit uit dubbelsinnige dade van bondgenootskap op ‘n ontologiese, etiese en politieke vlak, soos spruit uit my persoonlike ervaring tydens protesoptrede, en die spesifieke gevallestudie van die "menslike skild" as 'n vermeende daad van alliansie. Elke fokuspunt van hierdie tesis poog dus om te skets hoe Butler se relasionele denke 'n nuttige woordeskat kan bied om met die dubbelsinnighede bondgenootskap om te gaan. In hoofstuk twee van hierdie tesis begin ek uiteensit wat Butler se relasionele denke behels. Deur 'n breër oorsig van haar teoretiese oeuvre te gee, posisioneer ek Butler se relasionele denke as 'n verweefde weergawe van ontologie, etiek en politiek. Ek gaan dan voort om elk van hierdie drie aspekte onderskeidelik te bespreek. Sodoende wys ek daarop dat Butler se relasionele ontologie 'n alternatiewe ontologie bied teen soewereine subjektiwiteit; en 'n duidelike weergawe van die Butleriaanse onderwerp skets (as altyd in proses, diskursief, performatief en ondeursigtig). Hiermeesaam word ‘n beliggaamde sosiale ontologie voorgestaan. Ek wys ook hoe Butler se relasionele etiek in die diens staan van 'die leefbare lewe' wat poog om opgelegde verbondbaarheid (precarity) te verminder deur te fokus op ons gedeelde gevoel van onsekerheid, kwesbaarheid en verantwoordelikheid vir die ander. Laastens beweer ek dat Butler se konstruktivistiese verstaan van politieke agentskap vertaal kan word in 'n politiek van ‘ondermyning’ wat nuwe maniere kan bied vir volhoubare transformatiewe politieke handeling. Na ‘n uitgebreide bespreking van Butler se relasionale denke is Hoofstuk Drie daarop gemik om aan te toon hoe Butler se relasionele denke na vore kom in haar gedagtes oor openbare samekoms en alliansies. Spesifiek bied hierdie hoofstuk 'n tematiese verkenning van Butler se boek Notes Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly(2015) as 'n potensieel vrugbare bron met die breër problematiek van die bondgenootskap-diskoers in gedagte. Sodoende ondersoek ek Butler se politiek van verbondbaarheid; haar ontologiese begrip van alliansies as ongemaklik en onvoorspelbaar; en haar ‘etiek van kohabitasie’ wat sentreer rondom ons verpligtinge teenoor die ander wat nie deur ons gekies word nie. Laastens bied hoofstuk vier 'n meer konkrete ontleding van die bondgenootskap-diskoers vanuit Butler se gevestigde relasionele denke. Deur die temas "bevoorregting", "ondersteuning" en "handeling" uit die heersende definisie van ‘allyship’ te uit te lig, identifiseer ek die ontologiese, etiese en politieke tekortkominge en aannames binne die bondgenootskap-diskoers. Hierdeur voer ek aan dat die bondgenootskap-diskoers soewereine subjektiwiteit in stand hou. Die diskoers skep ‘n denkraamwerk wat oorvereenvoudigend en tweespaltig is en sodoende ‘n eng begrip van ondersteuning en handeling skep. Hierteenoor toon ek aan hoe Butler se verhoudingsdenke hierdie tekortkominge kan vermy, aangesien dit ‘n meer dinamiese, interseksionele, afhanklike, ongemaklike, onvoorspelbare en beliggaamde maniere om bondgenootskap te verstaan, moontlik maak. Op hierdie manier bied Butler 'n teoretiese leksikon wat kan spreek tot die "oorskot in betekenis" van die alliansie deur krities te beklemtoon, en te verwelkom, wat tussen liggame en ‘modewoorde’ gebeur.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Feminist theory, UCTD, Relation (Philosophy), Butler, Judith
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