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Tale Of Two Judiths: Queering Judith With The Works Of Judith Butler, Kat S. Lewis
Tale Of Two Judiths: Queering Judith With The Works Of Judith Butler, Kat S. Lewis
Religious Studies Honors Projects
Biblical texts play a significant role in shaping expectations for behavior based on gender in Western societies. In my queer reading of the Book of Judith, I argue that Judith’s performance of gender is fluid and gender expansive. I use reader-response criticism to interpret Judith in conversation with the works of Judith Butler and Saba Mahmood on gender performativity, drag, and agency. This queer reading of Judith provides representation of gender expansiveness in biblical texts and explores queer possibilities in Judith as a way to challenge and subvert a patriarchal, heterosexist gender binary.