Definitions HQ

A Performative (n.) asks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what it means for a thing to be 'done' by a word — or 'done in' by one.

The Performative (n.) bleeps ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠'abortion' as if the word performed the act when magically viewed, and treats saying 'I am homosexual' as a homosexual act.

The Performative (n.) depends ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠on failure, Derrida claims: the chance of going wrong is the very force and law of its emergence.

A Performative (n.) succeeds ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠only by repeating a coded, iterable formula — every 'I open this meeting' is a citation, and intention can no longer govern the whole scene.

A Performative (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not end with the utterance; it goes on signifying in spite of its author, sometimes against the author's most precious intentions.

The Performative (n.) draws ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its force, for Bourdieu, from social power and its contexts of authority; for Derrida, from the utterance's break from all prior context.

A Performative (n.) to ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the extent it is conventional must be repeated to work — bound to no context in particular, though always found in some context or another.

A Performative (n.) succeeds ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠— always only provisionally — not because intention governs it but because it echoes prior actions and accumulates the force of authority through citation.

A Performative (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a singular act used by an established subject but one of the influential rituals by which subjects are formed and reformulated.

The Performative (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is tacit establishes a practical sense for the body — not only what it is, but how it can or cannot negotiate space, its 'location' among cultural coordinates.

A Performative (n.) produces ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what it names — yet that power is derivative: resignification, not creation ex nihilo; an act apart from sanctioned convention is a vain effort.

The Performative (n.) needs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a historicity of force: no term works performatively without an accumulating and dissimulating history.

A Performative (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not merely refer but helps make what it enunciates; 'This is Aristotle' does not bring Aristotle into being — so performativity is not rigid designation.