Beside Oneself on the Limits of Sexual Autonomy Judith Butler

¶ … Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy," Judith Butler addresses the way in which human subjectivity relies upon the interplay between biology and society. The essay was written in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and also draws from Butler's own experiences working as a representative for the GLBT community. Her personal involvement in culturally underrepresented groups creates a dynamic in which she writes about a universal theme (what it means to be human) while considering the fact that humans are not treated in a universal, standardized manner. She contends that although the human body is a biological entity, it is impossible to conceive of it independent from the way in which it is constituted within its sociological context.

The importance of Butler's essay lies in the way that she clarifies how the human (singular) invariably necessitates relationships with others. Moreover, she makes the connection between sexuality and society, showing how the two are inextricably linked. Butler states that "we are constituted politically in part by virtue of the social vulnerability of our bodies; we are constituted as fields of desire and physical vulnerability, at once publicly assertive and vulnerable" (18). In this regard, no one's body exists in a vacuum separate from society; society manufactures shapes the way in which the body is constituted.

A significant aspect of the essay that has shaped my own thoughts involves whether or not it is possible for a person to ever be sexually autonomous. It is common for activists to bemoan the fact that people have no autonomy, particularly members of culturally underrepresented groups such as lesbians and transgendered individuals. However, when they complain about being ostracized, they are actually bemoaning a particular way in which they have been constituted in society. There is no way for people to actually achieve sexual autonomy; a more accurate complaint is to protest the way in which a cultural group is positioned in society. One of the main themes of the feminist movement involves the attempt by women to become autonomous and freed from the pressures of having to produce babies. Butler shows how even if the women were freed from the duty of procreating, they still would not be sexually autonomous because they would still be constituted by society, just in a different fashion. When Butler speaks of the notion of sexual autonomy, she therefore addresses not only one's body but moreover, the cultural identity of the person and their cultural group.