Judith Butler Speaks on Gender, Democracy, and the Future at WashU

Renowned philosopher discusses their latest book and the role of the humanities in turbulent times.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Renowned author and gender theorist Judith Butler spoke to a crowd of around 200 members of the WashU community about their recent book "Who's Afraid of Gender?" and the future of world democracy. Butler emphasized the importance of focused attention on current events to prevent horrific acts by governments from becoming normalized, and argued that those seeking to resist conservative power need to create a future that supporters of that power would want to live in as well. The event also featured presentations by WashU faculty members on their new books exploring topics like the gentrification of AIDS in the Midwest and the connections between modernist literature and facial recognition technology.

Why it matters

Butler's talk touched on pressing political issues like immigration enforcement, attacks on trans rights, and the role of the humanities in a time of increasing pressure on higher education funding. Their message about the need to imagine and create a future that appeals to all resonates as democratic institutions face challenges around the world.

The details

Butler first spoke about how progressives should deal with the uncertainty of the future, emphasizing the need to prevent current events like ICE raids and attacks on trans rights from becoming normalized. They argued that those seeking to resist conservative power need to create a future that supporters of that power would want to live in as well, by linking political movements with the "work of the imagination" and crafting an "imaginary" that makes democratic life "irresistible." Butler also defended the importance of the humanities, echoing WashU faculty who spoke about their new books exploring connections between literature, technology, and politics.

  • The event took place on February 3, 2026.

The players

Judith Butler

An author and feminist philosopher, Butler is a gender theorist and distinguished professor at the University of California, Berkeley's graduate program in Comparative Literature. They are the author of many books, most notably "Gender Trouble" (1990), which proposed the concept of gender performativity.

René Esparza

An assistant professor in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at WashU, Esparza spoke about his book "From Vice to Nice: Midwestern Politics and the Gentrification of AIDS," which deals with the Midwest's reaction to the AIDS crisis.

Anca Parvulescu

The Liselotte Dieckmann Professor in Comparative Literature at WashU, Parvulescu presented on her new book "Face and Form: Physiognomy in Literary Modernism," which connects modernist literature's obsession with the human face to current technologies like facial recognition.

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What they’re saying

“I have suggested we may be feeling anxiety and alarm, that we also have to keep such events from becoming normal. But does that mean we have to be on alert all the time? I want to say that we have to be focused and attentive, but refuse to be undermined by anxiety if we are to elude, oppose, and dismantle such powers.”

— Judith Butler (studlife.com)

“My wager is that those who would like to expose and defeat this [conservative] power have to ask themselves, 'For what passionate principles do we stand, and how do we craft, display, and circulate them such that people will see what we offer?' The kind of world in which they desire to live, to live in common.”

— Judith Butler (studlife.com)

“This last requires linking our political movements with the work of the imagination and creating an imaginary that allows us to think experimentally and hopefully about the new coordinates for a world that makes democratic life irresistible along the way.”

— Judith Butler (studlife.com)

“Power is not formulaic in how it acts, but that's how it presents itself, and how we can sort of dismantle it is through the ability to reimagine and recontextualize and recreate.”

— Ash Withrow, Senior (studlife.com)

“Beyond the talk about the literature and their book and all of the scholarly work they've done, I think the most important part [is] about social change and social justice, and hearing talks about it is that it reminds us how imperative it is to stay together in a time like this, no matter how much is changing around us. One line that stuck out to me was that 'Courage is collective,' and I think that, especially when education is being reprimanded and taken away in a lot of different forms and aspects, that this is a time that we need to push forth against it and stay together to continue in the pursuit of education.”

— Marissa Mathieson, Senior (studlife.com)

What’s next

Butler's lecture was part of the Center of Humanities' 2026 Faculty Book Celebration, and the center plans to continue hosting similar events highlighting the work of WashU faculty in the humanities.

The takeaway

Judith Butler's talk underscored the vital role of the humanities in addressing pressing political and social issues, and the need for progressives to harness the power of imagination and community to create a more just and democratic future. Their message resonates as universities face increasing challenges in funding and supporting these crucial fields of study.