The work of Judith Butler has had hugely influence within different field of critical thinkers and her book Gender Trouble (1990) is regarded as a ‘break through’ within gender studies. It contributed a radical shift in how we came to see ourselves as gendered beings. The main point is that individuals ‘become gendered’ through performative acts. This gives individuals agency, however, the performativity of gender takes place in relation to certain gender norms within a context. Judith Butler sees both sex and gender as something that becomes ‘reality’ through performing. This concerns ontology and is a controversial point within her theory.
I was introduced to the thinking of Judith Butler as I finished my master thesis and her work inspired the perspective in my PhD. How ‘the becoming’ of physiotherapy students and physiotherapists is produced within the context of physiotherapy being formed by an interaction of professional -and gender norms of past and present, fascinates me a lot. I find that Judith Butler’s gender theory stimulates and gives depth to the pondering on possibilities and limitations for different acts and ways of being and becoming within the context of physiotherapy.
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