Professor Judith Butler, a distinguished academic at the University of California, Berkeley, has ignited significant debate following remarks in which she characterized the October 7, 2023, events in Israel as "an act of armed resistance" rather than a "terrorist attack." The controversial statement, made during a roundtable discussion in France in March 2024, has drawn widespread criticism and sparked renewed scrutiny of interpretations surrounding the conflict.
During the discussion, Professor Butler, known for her influential work in critical theory and gender studies, stated, "We can have different views about Hamas as a political party. We can have different views about armed resistance. But I think it is more honest and historically correct to say that the uprising of October 7 was an act of armed resistance. It is not a terrorist attack." This assertion contrasts with her earlier stance in October 2023, when she had unequivocally condemned the attacks.
The recharacterization by Professor Butler, who uses they/them pronouns, has been met with strong reactions from various quarters. Critics argue that labeling the events as "armed resistance" minimizes the atrocities committed and disregards the targeting of civilians. The University of California, Berkeley, where Butler holds a professorship in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory, maintains a general disclaimer on its faculty pages, noting that "the views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley."
Professor Butler is a highly influential figure in academia, particularly recognized for developing the concept of gender performativity, which posits that gender is a social construct performed through repeated actions. Her extensive body of work, including seminal texts like "Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity," has profoundly impacted feminist theory, queer studies, and cultural studies. Her prominence lends significant weight to her public statements, amplifying the discourse surrounding her recent comments on the October 7 events. The ongoing debate highlights the deep divisions and differing perspectives on the nature of the conflict and the terminology used to describe it.