On Saturday 19 October, we welcome Judith Butler to share their thoughts on the meaning of gender on the occasion of their latest book release. In Who’s Afraid of Gender? (2024), Butler examines how anti-gender ideology movements use the phantasm of gender to undermine freedom, equality and justice for women, intersex, queer and trans people, and all of those who do not conform to gender norms. They uncover the violent and fear-driven reasoning, underlying the arguments and visions of these political movements, which perpetuate the myth that ‘gender’ threatens our society. Butler’s book calls on us to articulate counter-visions and practices that dismantle the phantasm of gender, envisioning a society that embraces complexity, where we learn to recognize and practice freedom from violence, radical equality, and justice as our best chance for collective survival.

Through their influential works, Judith Butler has shaped Gender and Queer theory and impacted discussions on war, violence, non-violence and human rights. These works include Gender Trouble (1990), Bodies That Matter (1996), Undoing Gender (2004), Frames of War (2009), Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (2012) and The Force of Nonviolence (2020).

Cultural studies scholar Margriet van Heesch and Professor of Sociology of Gender and Sexuality Sarah Bracke will join them to explore the ideas and fears attached to gender in our rapidly changing societies. The conversation will be moderated by Jamil Fiorino-Habib (Media Studies UvA) and writer and poet Alara Adilow will share a reading of her latest work.

This evening is a collaboration between Paradiso, SPUI25, and Uitgeverij Ten Have, offering a platform to discuss one of the most pressing contemporary topics. Ticket sale starts on 20 August at 13:00.