ABSTRACT
Butler has troubled the waters and caused a lot of trouble. As readers of
this book will have seen, though, there is often a mismatch between what
exactly she proposed to trouble and the troubled critiques that have emerged. Our presentation of Butler’s thought in this book has been, of
course, selective and angled in certain ways, as must necessarily be the case.
While in no way uncritical in our examination of her work,1 we write con-
sistently in opposition to many of her critics. We have striven to make But-
ler’s trouble productive in terms of political theory and possibly – down the
line – in certain areas of political practice. On the whole, the commentary
on Butler is guarded and grudging; why celebrate someone for making
trouble? And indeed, on the whole, the trouble is not much appreciated; at best she is often damned with faint praise.
