Judith Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher, who has contributed to the fields of feminist philosophy, queer theory, political philosophy, and ethics. She is active in gender and sexual politics, human rights and anti-war politics. She is also the Maxine Elliot Professor in the departments of rhetoric and comparative literature and the co-director of the Program of Critical Theory at UC Berkeley.

Judith Butler is the recipient of this year’s Adorno Prize, a highly coveted German award that recognizes outstanding achievement in philosophy, theater, music or film. The prize was established by the city of Frankfurt in 1977 to commemorate sociologist and philosopher Theodor Adorno. It is conferred every three years on Sept. 11, Adorno’s birthday.