The concept of "performativity" has risen to prominence throughout the humanities. The rise of financial derivatives reflects the power of the performative sign in the economic sphere. As recent debates about gender identity show, the concept of performativity is also profoundly influential on...

Chapter One: Usury, Sodomy, and Idolatry -- Chapter Two: Performativity in Postmodernity -- Chapter Three: The Commodification of Rhetoric in Classical Athens -- Chapter Four: Witchcraft and Representation in Early Modern England -- Chapter Five: Commodification and Performativity in Eucharistic...