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Reconceiving Recognition: Towards a Cumulative Politics of Recognition
Author(s) -
Malloy Tamar
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of political philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1467-9760
pISSN - 0963-8016
DOI - 10.1111/jopp.12027
Subject(s) - chapel , politics , media studies , library science , sociology , art history , history , political science , law , computer science
THE politics of recognition asks us to make a “presumption of equal worth” when encountering cultures other than our own. It seeks to reconcile a western, liberal belief in the importance of equal dignity with the increasing heterogeneity of the modern world, through an openness to seeing the value in others’ modes of living. Yet the politics of recognition have been variously critiqued: as too abstract; as too detached from the material conditions of daily life; as a distraction from efforts to ameliorate injustice through redistribution; as being focused on remedies that are mostly symbolic; as being dependent on oversimplifications of structures of power; as being destined to create irresolvable struggles for sovereignty; as essentializing; as potentially condescending; as too heavily dependent on collective identities; and as somehow inauthentic. Recognition remains an attractive end for those interested in multiculturalism, feminism, democracy, and the possibility of living a just life in an ever-expanding world. Still, these critiques are sufficiently serious that they would, if correct, undermine the hope that recognition holds out as a remedy for enduring