Rainbow Fluidity, Illuminative Conduct; Human in two ways of dealing with the body

Mansouri, Maryam; Abavisani, Saeedeh

doi:10.22059/jstmt.2026.405831.1839

Rainbow Fluidity, Illuminative Conduct; Human in two ways of dealing with the body

Document Type : Research Article / Original Article

Authors

Maryam Mansouri ¹

Saeedeh Abavisani ²

¹ Assistant Professor of Social science, University of Shahed, Tehran, Iran.

² PhD Student in Muslim Social Knowledge, Baqir-al-Ulum University, Qom, Iran.

10.22059/jstmt.2026.405831.1839

Abstract

The issue of gender pluralism is one of the serious challenges facing most societies today, including our own. This article examines and analyzes two foundational approaches to defining the human being and explores the implications of these definitions for understanding sex and gender. It juxtaposes the concept of “rainbow fluidity,” derived from Judith Butler’s theoretical framework, with the spiritual trajectory rooted in Transcendent Philosophy (ḥikmat-e motaʿāliya). Based on this comparative analysis, the notion of the “Illuminative body” is articulated in contrast to Butler’s idea of the “rainbow body.” Butler's perspective, by rejecting any essence for human beings, sees humans as constantly changing and fluidity, in which both sex and gender are things without substance and this is the product of performance. This perspective allows for all forms of sexual and gender multiplicities, viewing any opposition or rejection of these identities as bodily suppression. In contrast, the Transcendent Philosophy approach emphasizes the existence of an essence and substance for human beings, considers the human body as a alert, living, and intelligent reality that moves toward perfection and Within this process, bodily changes are defined in relation to the essence and totality of one's being. However, it should be noted that these changes do not negate the boundaries of being female or male. Thus, multiplicities in gender and embodied behaviors are formed within a defined and rule-based framework. That is, acquired conceptual inventions and exist alongside existential realities and are not independent of them. Therefore, in this article, which employs a qualitative content analysis method, while the rainbow fluidity approach defines humans as moving freely and chaotically, the Illuminative Conduct approach defines human movement within a systematic framework aligned with existential truths. This relational framework prevents bodily suppression and the imposition of unbridled changes on the body.

Keywords

Butler

Conventionalities

Gender

Illuminative body

Rainbow Body

Transcendent Philosophy

Subjects

New ideas for the reconstruction of social sciences based on the sources of Islamic thought

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