Recognition and Power

Abstract

The topic of recognition has come to occupy a central place in debates in social and political theory. Developed by George Herbert Mead and Charles Taylor, it has been given expression in the program for Critical Theory developed by Axel Honneth in his book The Struggle for Recognition. Honneth's research program offers an empirically insightful way of reflecting on emancipatory struggles for greater justice and a powerful theoretical tool for generating a conception of justice and the good that enables the normative evaluation of such struggles. This 2007 volume offers a critical clarification and evaluation of this research program, particularly its relationship to the other major development in critical social and political theory; namely, the focus on power as formative of practical identities (or forms of subjectivity) proposed by Michel Foucault and developed by theorists such as Judith Butler, James Tully, and Iris Marion Young.

Between normativism and naturalism: Honneth on social pathology

“…Therefore, the concept of social pathology has by no means a minor part to play in Honneth's scholarly project that seeks to integrate social ontology, normative analysis, and empirical social research under the banner of social philosophy. It is, indeed, the key category of his social philosophy, next to “recognition”—a concept that has attracted much wider scholarly attention in the last 25 years (see Deranty, ; Fraser & Honneth, ; Honneth, , ; Ikäheimo, ; Ikäheimo & Laitinen, ; Lysaker & Jakobsen, ; McBride, , McNay, ; Petherbridge, ; Ricoeur, ; Schmidt am Busch, ; Schmidt am Busch & Zurn, ; Siep, Ikäheimo, & Quante, ; Taylor, ; Thompson, ; van den Brink & Owen, ; Zurn, ).…”

Materials Science in the Developing World: Challenges and Perspectives for Africa

“…However, since most of the people involved stayed in these rather academic fields the economic impact of this effort has been somewhat limited. With choices tailored to make their impact in fields which are scientifically and technologically relevant to the developing countries involved, the ICMR and USAMI (discussed above) and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) [24] and the Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI) [25] described later in this Essay are some of the most distinguished institutions that follow directly or indirectly in the footsteps of the ICTP and build on Salam's legacy. Indeed, setting up such organizations in both the North and the South is a very promising approach towards bridging the knowledge and technology gap between developing and developed countries, also with the view of creating economic opportunities based on technological advances.…”

“…In particular, the journal Nature Materials highlighted the above mentioned AIMS through an Editorial [65] and a Commentary. [24] This recently born institution offers a very broad nine-month post-graduate course, aiming at enhancing the students' mathematical abilities while providing them with an overview of modern science. Van den Brink and Snyman, who visited AIMS as lecturer and tutor respectively, remark that the institute focuses on excellence as well as on Africa's specific needs.…”

“…Since one of the great challenges for the scientific community is to bridge the gap between north and south, they highlight the potential role of AIMS as a model for similar organizations operating in physics and materials science. [24] They also argue that its location and pan-African student population strongly encourage a commitment to the continent, which desperately needs a new generation of academics and scientists in general.…”