logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
23m 31s

Judith Butler: Gender and identity

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Stephen Sackur speaks to philosopher Judith Butler, who has been at the centre of the fierce debate about sex, gender and self-identity for three decades. Their new book suggests those sceptical of gender fluidity and self-identity are part of a global authoritarian trend. Is that fair?

Up next
Oct 30
Brad Smith, Microsoft President: Washing machines are better-regulated than AI
Right now, your washing machine is subject to more safety rules than AI. Every carton of milk that you see in the grocery store is subject to safety rules and inspection. Or think about the aeroplanes we get on - you can get on a plane in London, you can fly to Athens or New York ... Show More
24m 15s
Oct 28
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor: There’s a vacuum in Israeli media
Rebecca Kesby speaks to Israeli film-makers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Abraham and Szor gained international attention last year with their self-distributed film, No Other Land, made in collaboration with two Palestinian film-makers. The film, which won the 2025 Academy Award ... Show More
23 m
Oct 26
Navanetham ‘Navi' Pillay, 2026 Nobel Peace Prize winner
“When we suffered under apartheid, those were immoral laws, they institutionalised racism. Where could we go for relief? And I yearned for a better system of law based on values.” Waihiga Mwaura talks to Navanetham or 'Navi' Pillay who has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. ... Show More
22m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2020
Ep. 235: Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble" (Part One)
On Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990). Is gender socially constructed, and if so, how? Butler describes gender not as an essential quality of a person, but as "performed," as habits of acting in certain ways in accordance with customs. Her idea of soci ... Show More
51m 37s
Feb 2024
Human Conditions: ‘The Second Sex’ by Simone de Beauvoir
Judith Butler joins Adam Shatz to discuss a landmark in feminist thought, Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949). Dazzling in its scope, The Second Sex incorporates anthropology, psychology, historiography, mythology and biology to ask an ‘impossible’ question: what is a woma ... Show More
12m 41s
Apr 2025
Trump’s War by Executive Order
Judith Butler and Aziz Rana join Adam Shatz to discuss Donald Trump’s use of executive orders to target birthright citizenship, protest, support of Palestinian rights, academic freedom, constitutionally protected speech and efforts to ensure inclusion on the basis of race, gender ... Show More
1h 2m
Mar 2023
Judith Butler vs. Michel Foucault
In this episode, I describe the similarities and differences between Butler and Foucault's understanding of sexuality's relationship to centers of power. If you want to support me, you can do that with these links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theoryandphilosophy paypal.me/th ... Show More
17m 9s
Sep 2022
The Genesis of Gender
What does it mean to be a man or a woman? And just as important in today's culture, how do we have civil, truthful, loving conversations about that topic? Seth and Tsh are joined by author and professor Abigail Favale to talk about those things. She's written a book that's taking ... Show More
51m 1s
Nov 2021
Tearing at Myself: Interview with Judith Butler (part I)
In this episode we host the renowned philosopher, Judith Butler. She has been invested in psychoanalytic thought from early on in her career, but this dialogue received little attention. In this episode, Butler openly talks about her initial encounter with psychoanalysis as a que ... Show More
23m 57s
May 2021
Susan Stryker
Susan Stryker is a professor, author, filmmaker, and theorist whose work focuses on gender and human sexuality. Susan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the transgender experience in today’s modern world, consulting on the Lady and the Dale docuseries, and how transgender hate ... Show More
1h 37m