Introduction
American gender theorist and philosopher Judith Butler has decided to withdraw from a series of talks at the Centre Pompidou in Paris following criticisms regarding their comments on the October 7 attacks. Butler, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a member of the American association Jewish Voice for Peace, faced accusations of antisemitism over statements made during a video-recorded lecture outside Paris on March 3. This decision marks another instance where Butler’s views on contentious issues have drawn significant scrutiny.
Butler’s Decision
In a statement first published by the Art Newspaper, Butler expressed that their participation in the scheduled events would likely become a “distraction from the important work that will be presented by artists and intellectuals at these events.” As a result, Butler has opted not to participate formally, but has encouraged all other guests to proceed as planned. They emphasised that this choice is based on their own judgment of the circumstances and expressed confidence in the excellence of the program, urging the public to attend.
Controversial Statements
Butler’s remarks at the March 3 lecture sparked controversy, particularly concerning their characterisation of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. While acknowledging the attack as “terrible,” Butler refrained from labelling it as a “terror attack” or an “antisemitic act.” Instead, they described it as an “uprising” and an “act of armed resistance.” These comments drew accusations of antisemitism, prompting Butler to clarify their intent in subsequent statements.
In an interview with the French news website Mediapart, Butler explained that their statements were aimed at analysing Hamas’s attack as political tactics and were not indicative of support for Hamas or a glorification of their actions. However, the controversy surrounding Butler’s remarks persisted, leading to cancellations of their talks by various institutions.
Cancellation of Talks
Prior to withdrawing from the Centre Pompidou talks, Butler faced cancellations of engagements in Paris. The Paris city council canceled one of Butler’s talks on Palestine in December, and two additional lectures on the power of mourning amid political conflict were pulled from programming at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris the following month.
Centre Pompidou Invitation
Butler had been invited by the Centre Pompidou, a prominent cultural institution in France, to serve as its “intellectual in residence.” Originally scheduled to run from September 14, 2023, through January 25, 2024, the series was postponed due to a three-month strike of unionized staff at the institution. The strike concluded in January with a contract agreement between employees and Pompidou leadership, leading to the rescheduling of the “intellectual season” for April 24–28.
Conclusion
Judith Butler’s decision to withdraw from the Centre Pompidou talks underscores the ongoing controversies surrounding their views on contentious issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Butler has defended their remarks as analytical rather than supportive of violence, the criticisms have persisted, resulting in cancellations of speaking engagements. The fallout from this incident raises questions about the boundaries of academic discourse and the complexities of navigating sensitive political topics in public forums.
Feature Image: Judith Butler gives a lecture at the University of Hamburg in 2007| Courtesy: Jreberlein / Wikimedia Commons
