Enactivism and Gender Performativity

Embodied cognition, or enactivism, holds that the body is central to perception, emotion, and thought, challenging traditional mind-body dualism. This chapter applies enactivism to social and political issues, particularly gender. Using Judith Butler's concept of performativity, it argues that gender identity arises from ongoing, embodied interactions with the world. By focusing on how values are embedded in these bodily practices, oppressive patterns can be disrupted, creating possibilities for liberation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

AbstractThe enactivist paradigm of embodied cognition represents a powerful alternative to Cartesian and cognitivist approaches in the philosophy of mind. On this view, the body plays a constitutive role in the integrated functioning of perception, affect, and other cognitive processes. Enactivism shares many of the central themes of feminist theory, and is extended to apply to social and political concerns. Following a discussion of the key components of the enactive approach, this chapter applies it to explain more complex social manifestations, specifically gender performance and its reproduction through time. By employing Judith Butler’s notion of performativity, the chapter argues that gender, as one marker of social identity and difference, emerges through processes of embodied and embedded sense-making as articulated by enactive theory. More attention to embodied and embedded values allows for the interruption and transformation of histories of oppressive practices and opens the door to more liberatory possibilities.