Citation

Morrissey B. Soc. Semiotic. 2005; 15(2): 165-184.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10350330500178559

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate among theorists of performativity as to whether this concept is founded in an ethical relation. I argue that recent theorisations of the performative, which ground the development of the performative subject within sociality, necessarily make ethics intrinsic to any understanding of performativity. Using the case of serial killer Karla Homolka, I explore four aspects of ethical relations—identity, otherness, responsibility and response—demonstrating that at each moment, performative theory encompasses, and indeed relies upon, an ethical foundation. I contend that this is particularly evident when we consider the role of narrative in exploring each of these aspects. The paper explores four different narratives of Karla Homolka's experience, developed in Lynn Crosbie's book on Karla Homolka's murderous partnership with Paul Bernardo, Paul's Case. Each “story” presents a performative relation, which clearly relies upon intersubjectivity, and thus upon an ethical relation to others. This narrative performativity allows for social contextualisation and an addressee/addresser relation that exceeds the individual self, while preserving the fragmented and contingent nature of the subject, which is the hallmark of performative theory of subjectivity.