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}}{{quote|“It’s a crucial moment in history,” said [[Abraaj]] founder, [[Arif Naqvi]]. “It’s an opportunity to immutably and absolutely change the course of innumerable lives.”}}{{d|Performative|/pəˈfɔːmətɪv/|adj}} | }}{{quote|“It’s a crucial moment in history,” said [[Abraaj]] founder, [[Arif Naqvi]]. “It’s an opportunity to immutably and absolutely change the course of innumerable lives.”}}{{d|Performative|/pəˈfɔːmətɪv/|adj}} | ||
1. (''[[Critical theory]]'') Characterised by the performance of a social or cultural role: ''the contextual and performative aspects of [[gender]]''. | 1. (''Media relations'') Describing an action that resembling a dramatic or artistic ''performance'', being one in whose acquiescence one must suspend disbelief willingly — if on a stage of some kind — or gullibly, if in a political or commercial context. A magician’s misdirection. | ||
The key to ''this'' kind of performativity — quite different from the first kind but, ironically, performative ''of'' it — is the tacit understanding that ''one is not expected to personally believe what one is saying''. Just as we do not expect Anthony Hopkins ''personally'' to like eating human liver with fava beans and chianti just because Hannibal Lecter does, nor do we expect the [[ultra-high net worth wealth management]] executives to really mean it when they pledge to reduce global income inequality. It isn’t like they are about to give out their clients’ money to poor people, or even stop cooking up elaborate tax shelters to further increase global inequality in favour of their clients, are they? | |||
2. (''[[Critical theory]]'') Characterised by the performance of a social or cultural role: ''the contextual and performative aspects of [[gender]]''. | |||
This usage has its origin in {{plainlink|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Butler|Judith Butler}}’s view that gender is a mutable social construct, characterised by repeated actions, language and dispositions that shape (and are shaped by) the physical environment. | This usage has its origin in {{plainlink|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Butler|Judith Butler}}’s view that gender is a mutable social construct, characterised by repeated actions, language and dispositions that shape (and are shaped by) the physical environment. | ||
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Fair enough, as far as that goes: but we will duck out of further extrapolations of what this might mean in practice, since they run fairly quickly into a kind of political ''grand guignol'' that does no-one any favours. But it is an interesting starting point, deserving serious attention. | Fair enough, as far as that goes: but we will duck out of further extrapolations of what this might mean in practice, since they run fairly quickly into a kind of political ''grand guignol'' that does no-one any favours. But it is an interesting starting point, deserving serious attention. | ||
3. (''Technical, and not really in use these days'') Relating to an utterance by which the speaker performs a particular act merely by making the utterance (e.g. “I [[guarantee]]”, I “[[represent]]” or I “[[promise]]”). | 3. (''Technical, and not really in use these days'') Relating to an utterance by which the speaker performs a particular act merely by making the utterance (e.g. “I [[guarantee]]”, I “[[represent]]” or I “[[promise]]”). | ||