Introduction: Keeping Young’s Legacy Alive: Why Does Understanding Normalisation Matter to Difference, Democracy and Inclusion?

Abstract

The introduction points out the ways Iris Marion Young’s thoughts, mainly provided in her book, Inclusion and Democracy, matter to us in the 21st century. Particularly, her concept of a ‘politics of positional difference’ as read in the context of structural injustice (Young, 2007) is of importance as it captures the troubling deficits of social inclusion in democratic societies. A critical discussion of normalisation is needed, unwrapping how majority normativity or hegemonic values keep social injustice and structural disadvantage in place. Further it is argued that Young’s differentiation of a ‘politics of cultural differences’ and a ‘politics of positional differences’ (2007) has to be read in combination with her critique of processes of normalisation. With this focus in mind the introduction ends while briefly sketching the main line of arguments of the different chapters.