In "Vulnerability in Resistance," editors
Judith Butler, Zeynep Gambetti, and Leticia Sabsay explore the intricate
relationship between vulnerability and resistance. They assert that
acknowledging vulnerability and resistance as interconnected concepts involves
embracing claims that are both risky and true. The emergence of the
"suffering other" in social relations is highlighted, with
vulnerability seen as a process exacerbated and disavowed for the pursuit of
power. The editors emphasize the heightened vulnerability of socially
disadvantaged groups, such as disabled individuals, when relying on paternalistic
institutions for protection. The central question posed is how to politically
address vulnerability in resistance, particularly through corporeal strategies
targeting these institutions, especially in times of neoliberal austerity.
Judith Butler, in the opening chapter titled
"Rethinking Vulnerability and Resistance," delves into the concept of
precarity. She challenges the assumed linear sequence of vulnerability followed
by resistance, emphasizing the interplay between vulnerability and resistance
in the context of space and infrastructure. Butler argues that understanding
bodily vulnerability requires considering the social and material conditions,
drawing parallels with disability studies. Linguistic vulnerability is also
explored, demonstrating how performativity exposes individuals to discourses
beyond their control.
Sarah Bracke, in "Bouncing Back: Vulnerability and
Resistance in Times of Resilience," critically examines the embodied
concept of resilience as a cultural keyword in the face of neoliberalism.
Resilience, she contends, not only signifies resistance but also the ability to
"bounce back" and survive in a neoliberal era where it becomes a form
of security against various threats. Bracke warns against the ways resilience
hinders the imagination of alternative futures and explores the body's
resistance to resilience.
The subsequent chapters explore corporealities and their
connections to disability studies. Marianne Hirsch, in "Vulnerable
Times," recounts her cultural and linguistic displacement, framing
vulnerability through aesthetic encounters and emphasizing the productivity of
acts such as reading, looking, and listening. The book also delves into themes
of natality and mortality, re-scripting womanhood, and critiquing citizenship.
Zeynep Gambetti, in "Rethinking Oneself and One’s
Identity: Agonism Revisited," uses Hannah Arendt's ideas to reflect on the
Occupy Gezi movement, challenging binaries between vulnerability and power,
materiality, and discursivity. Other chapters, such as "Barricades:
Resources and Residues of Resistance," explore the metaphorical and
monumental significance of barricades, and "Women in Black" discusses
non-sovereign agency through public mourning.
The exploration of vulnerability and resistance in the
collection delves deeper into the body, raising critical questions about
systemic violence, representation, civic participation, and political
transgressions. In the tenth chapter, Meltem Ahiska examines how patriarchal
violence sustains itself in the context of anti-violence campaigns, emphasizing
the role of representations in reaffirming vulnerability as an inherent aspect
of womanhood. Elsa Dorlin, in the eleventh chapter, explores civic
participation and the dynamics between the shown and the hidden in the
allegories of Western citizenship, particularly focusing on the significance of
the face in constructing subjectivity and citizenship.
Elena Tzelepis, in "Vulnerable Corporealities and
Precarious Belongings in Mona Hatoum’s Art," investigates how bodies are
shaped by loss, displacement, and occupation through art. Rema Hammami, in
"Precarious Politics: The Activism of ‘Bodies that Count’ (Aligning with
Those That Don’t) in Palestine’s Colonial Frontier," examines gendered
bodies coming together in resistance within colonial spaces.
A notable departure in the collection is Nukhet Sirman's
chapter, "When Antigone Is a Man: Feminist ‘Trouble’ in the Late
Colony," which describes transgressive discourse between feminists from
the Kurdish movement and second-wave-style feminism in Istanbul. Sirman
discusses gendered political practices and the vulnerability of individuals
challenging state-sanctioned practices, illustrating the complexity of
vulnerability when positioned outside accepted political norms.
A unique perspective is presented in Elena Loizidou's
chapter, "Dreams and the Political Subject," which considers dreams
as a politically viable force and an integral part of political subjectivity.
Loizidou argues that dreaming contributes to our political existence by
accessing a sensual world, challenging theoretical landscapes that may overlook
the political relevance of dreams.
Throughout the collection, the overarching theme is the
interplay between vulnerability and resistance, with a focus on corporeality
and subjectivity. The editors argue that vulnerability is a resource that can
be willingly exposed or claimed, giving rise to resistance through radical
democratic practices. The authors advocate for linking corporeality and
subjectivity, re-emphasizing vulnerability in resistance.
The conclusion underscores the affective dimension of
politics and the need for contestation in neoliberal times. However, the
editors acknowledge that the critical insight into vulnerability might only
scratch the surface, emphasizing the ongoing process of working through various
aspects such as the living and the dead, memories, barricades, and dreams. The
collection challenges the binary relationship between vulnerability and
resistance, urging a nuanced understanding that avoids reinforcing
paternalistic power, especially concerning group identifications like those
found in descriptions of disability. Overall, the collection prompts readers to
consider vulnerability/resistance and their political implications in a nuanced
and dynamic manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment