Judith Butler, the Maxine Elliot Professor and the co-director of the Program of Critical Theory at the University of California at Berkeley, was awarded the Adorno Prize from the city of Frankfurt, Germany. The prize is given out every three years on the birthday of sociologist and philosopher Theodor Adorno (1903-1969), a native of Frankfurt. The prize recognizes outstanding achievement in philosophy, theater, music, or film. The prize comes with a cash award of 50,000 euros.
Professor Butler was honored for her scholarly work on gender, sexuality, critical theory, and moral philosophy. She is the author of many books including Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (Routledge, 1989), Giving an Account of Oneself (Fordham University Press, 2005), and Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism (Columbia University Press, 2012).