Abstract
Butler’s theory of ressignification addresses the political reversion of a depreciative word by those who deploy it, using the originally prejudicial word in an affirmative way. However, this conception remains attached to traditional speech act theories in its phonocentric aspect. The paper submits Butler’s concept of ressignification to critic and suggests a sociological expansion of ressignification by combining it with collective political action (Bourdieu) and inscription processes (Latour). These two approaches provide materiality to historical processes of ressignification.
Keywords:
Discourse theory; Speech acts; Resignification; Materiality