ABSTRACT
I do not need epistemology to justify my desire, my life, my love. I need politics; I need to build a world that does not require such justifications (Phelan, 1994, p.55).
The emergence of queer theory in the academy has often been regarded as a mixed blessing. On the one hand, queer theory has produced an enormous amount of publishing activity among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender scholars, invigorating the field and helping to usher in a new visibility for the study of gender and sexuality in the academy. On the other hand, some critics have portrayed queer theory as an esoteric and politically bankrupt approach that contributes little to concrete social change (Solomon, 1993; Walters, 1996). In fact, practitioners of queer theory are often taken to task for being out of touch with the political conditions of 'real people'. Although many scholars may be identified with queer theory, Judith Butler has been singled out for much of this criticism. The 22 February 1999 issue of The New Republic contained a particularly venomous attack on Butler by Martha Nussbaum. Although she touches on several aspects of Butler's work in her article, Nussbaum's thesis is very simple: good feminist theory leads to practical political action, and Butler's theories do not. Far from promoting social change, argues Nussbaum, Butler's approach actively undermines social progress by leading a trend of political 'quietism and retreat' (Nussbaum, 1999, p.38).
