[Discussion] Judith Butler, What is Critique? {Part II}

This post summarises the second part of our reading group’s discussion of Butler’s essay on Foucault’s exposition and practice of critique. A summary of the first part of the discussion can be found here.

Self-Transformation v. Social Transformation

Reading 1: One major discomfort which in the beginning, all of the discussants in the group shared with the notion of self-transformation in Butler’s essay was its seeming affinity with an individualistic viewpoint. One of the discussants pointed out that the value of self-transformation seems limited especially in instances of social injustice, where it is not just individual actions but social structures and relations which inform such injustice. The discussant expressed her frustration with Foucault and Butler on this point and contrasted it with other critical works like Frantz Fanon which emphasise social transformation by recognising the power at play in social relations and not just individual self transformation.

[Discussion] Judith Butler, What is Critique? {Part I}

The demise of November saw our reading group meeting yet again, this time for a discussion of Judith Butler’s essay on Foucault’s exposition and practice of critique. The essay titled, What is Critique?, can be found here.

Critique as the Suspension of Judgment

The discussion began with Butler’s position in the essay that the practice of critique, according to Foucault, lies in the suspension of judgment: ““critique” is precisely a practice that not only suspends judgment for him, but offers a new practice of values based on that very suspension.”