Grounds and anchors in social construction

Abstract In the social constructionist literature, it is common to distinguish between causal and non-causal social construction. In this paper, I draw on Brian Epstein’s grounding-anchoring framework for social ontology to propose a grounding-anchoring account of non-causal construction, according to which there are two types of non-causal construction: ground-construction and anchor-construction. I then use this account to examine Judith Butler’s claim that there is no distinction between sex and gender because they are both socially constructed. I argue that once we distinguish between ground-construction and anchor-construction, it becomes clear that even if both sex and gender are socially constructed, it does not follow that there is no distinction between them, since they may be constructed in different ways.