Those Who Gather in the Streets

Abstract

This article examines the notion of vulnerable political subjectivity in Judith Butler’s theory of vulnerability. The paper aims to contribute to critical discussions of Butler’s political theory by offering an account of how the ontological, ethical, and political aspects of vulnerability shape political subjectivity in her work. The first part of the paper analyzes the features of vulnerable political subjects. The second part critically assesses to what extent Butler offers an alternative to the association of vulnerability with a damaged capability to act politically. The third part argues that Butler offers only a partial account of vulnerability as a transformative desire, which is crucial to explaining how and under what conditions vulnerability inspires subjects to engage politically with the conditions that shape their precarity or the precarity of others.

Embodying Resistance: Politics and the Mobilization of Vulnerability

“…Second, they relate to already recognizable modes of non-violent political action: demonstrations, marches, occupations, and ‘die-ins’. Third, although socially, politically, and/or economically vulnerable participants took part, and although, as Gilson (2016b) notes, the protests opened participants to the potential risk of incarceration and/or violence at the hands of another (the police, for instance), the form (Bargu, 2022) of the actions involved does not directly manifest vulnerability (Rozmarin, 2020). Fourth, these examples are rarely examined in detail.…”

“… 8. Important questions have also been raised about the account of political subjectivity implied by this rethinking of vulnerability and resistance (Page, 2018; Rozmarin, 2020). …”

“Hold your nose and harness these men”: Sexual vulnerability in a hyper-masculine organization – A barrier or a resource?

“…However, Butler's (2015Butler's ( , 2016 focus on dramatic, collective civic protests-such as the Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Palestinian protests in Gaza and the West Bank-overemphasizes the collective power of vulnerability and overlooks individuals' ability to resist, including the banal, daily practices that grant them agency (Rozmarin, 2020). Furthermore, in her focus on civic and collective struggles, Butler reproduces the association of agency with blunt resistance practices against vulnerability (Cole, 2016;Ferrarese, 2016;Murphy, 2011;Rushing, 2010;Shulman, 2011), overlooking the possibility that vulnerable subjects can simultaneously perform various forms of subjectivity and agency.…”

“…Although in recent years, organizational theory has devoted growing attention to Butler's conception of vulnerability, still less is known about its meaning among marginalized groups (Cutcher et al, 2022). Thus, following Butler's (2015Butler's ( , 2016 theory and Rozmarin's (2020Rozmarin's ( , 2021 critique, more scholarly studies are needed to explore how ongoing vulnerability produces other political acts in daily organizational life. Such theoretical focus can shed light on the constitution of agency by women as a praxis developed out of in-depth daily acquaintance with the characteristics of gendered power and their vulnerable organizational positioning, and out of their need to navigate a hostile environment.…”

“…The second contribution refers to the Butlerian conceptualization of vulnerability (Butler, 2015(Butler, , 2016Rozmarin, 2020Rozmarin, , 2021, which is rarely applied in organizational studies despite its potential to deepen the theoretical understanding of gender inequality and social exclusion (Cutcher et al, 2022). While Butler's conceptualization is sometimes criticized for its ambiguity and inapplicability (Cole, 2016;Ferrarese, 2016;Murphy, 2011;Rozmarin, 2021;Rushing, 2010;Shulman, 2011), our study concentrates on practices of vulnerability women use to improve their positioning within the gendered organization.…”