Axel Honneth Research Articles

Refugee recognition: reconsidering Honneth in light of Benjamin and Klein

AbstractUsing data collected from participant observation through creative workshops in two regions of the UK in 2019 and 2020 with participants going through the asylum system, this paper seeks to redress the under-theorisation of Axel Honneth’s use of critical and psychoanalytic theory including the work of Donald Winnicott within Honneth’s book The Struggle for Recognition. Crucially, this approach sees Honneth’s primary intersubjective process of recognition, love, as ambivalent, as opposed to monolithically conceived, a common criticism of Honneth’s early work, and applies this conception to empirical data. Following the work of philosopher Amy Allen, this paper also resolves to apply Jessica Benjamin’s use of the Third to a number of empirical case studies relating to creative workshops conducted with participants going through the asylum system. By taking this ambivalent approach, this paper shows how meaningful recognition might more successfully be achieved beyond the limits of such the punitive regimes of asylum.

Persistent and Resistant: Middle Class Advantage in Schooling

AbstractThis commentary applies Martin Thrupp’s long-term research interest in the practices of persistent middleclass advantage to a discussion of parents’ apparent freedom to choose the State school their child attends, and the effects of this parental choice on educational equality. In a highly unequal society such as Aotearoa New Zealand, parents’ capabilities to act, consume, self-maximise and choose freely in the schooling marketplace are also highly unequal. The commentary then draws on Axel Honneth’s version of recognition theory to examine underlying assumptions among advantaged groups that effectively frame parental choice as: (i) natural (i.e. all parents promote their own children’s best interests); (ii) unobjectionable (i.e. parents can choose or decide not to as they wish); and (iii) harmless to others (i.e. parents’ schooling choices affect only their own children). This family or household view of best interests is contrasted with one that focuses on the collective schooling interests of the neighbourhood.

Quiet Quitting as Compensatory Respect: Meaningful Work, Recognition, and the Entrepreneurial Ethic

AbstractThis paper employs Axel Honneth’s recognition theory to interpret ‘quiet quitting’ – the practice of limiting work efforts to contracted requirements – as a strategic response by workers facing misrecognition in their work environment. Honneth argues that misrecognition in any one of three social spheres (the family, political society, and the workplace) constitutes disrespect and causes psychological harm. While Honneth contends that experiences of disrespect tend to motivate collective “struggles for recognition,” we suggest that quiet quitters present an alternative response to disrespect, individually seeking recognition in other social spheres rather than engaging in collective action. Further, we draw on Honneth to suggest that the contemporary “entrepreneurial” work ethic – the widespread expectation that workers invest emotionally in their work role – can in practice undermine workplace recognition, contributing to quiet quitters’ compensatory emphasis on recognitive relations outside of work. This recognition-theoretical approach extends current discussions around quiet quitting and yields valuable insights for management theory and practice regarding the critical role of genuine employee recognition in promoting individual well-being and meaningful work experiences.

Ambivalences of Trans Recognition

Abstract The need for gender recognition is widespread, even when hypervisibility and other effects of trans antagonism make that need dangerous for trans people. This reason partially accounts for why, in trans critique, recognition is a dirty word. As a political aim, and to some extent as a moral norm, trans critiques encourage dropping recognition. On the other hand, social philosophers often view recognition as a solution to misrecognition and take recognition to be a remedy for injustice. In my view, recognition should neither be dropped nor held as a foundational norm for trans emancipation. First, I present three ways trans recognition is ambivalent. Second, evaluating Axel Honneth's observations about the entwinement of recognition and domination, I argue that recognition is an ambivalent norm for trans critique and struggle. Third, I propose studying trans recognitive practices (rather than recognition in abstract) and I illuminate what might set trans/t4t recognition acts apart from their cis-grounded analogues, centering the roles of the body and space/place as resources of trans/t4t recognitive practices, and how such practices focus on the subject's change and becoming over their identification.

Conceptualizing person undergoing rehabilitation care in the light of Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition

Objective: To reflect on the concept of person, in the context of rehabilitation, in the light of Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recognition. Methods: Theoretical-philosophical essay. Results: The concepts of person, patient, user or client have given rise to central debates in health care models, especially in the area of rehabilitation. In this context, the concept of person stands out, from an anthropological and theological perspective to the inclusion of the complexity of social interactions in this meaning. Axel Honneth adds to this view by reflecting on the individuation of the being through the foundation of recognition, sustained by the need for self-confidence, self-respect and self-esteem, making it possible to draw up a collaborative care plan that strives for the good life of the person undergoing rehabilitation. Conclusion: We can conclude that conceiving of care centered on people with disabilities is much more coherent nowadays than perpetuating other debatable expressions in terms of health. Regardless of the term to be used, recognizing all the dimensions inherent in the concept of person is fundamental in terms of establishing the integral dialogical relationship that is intended between health professionals and the person-patient-user-client undergoing rehabilitation.

Honneth’s Theory of Recognition and Material Poverty

This paper explores the intersection of poverty and recognition theory, grounded in Axel Honneth’s framework, to offer a novel perspective on poverty as a multifaceted social phenomenon. It argues that poverty should be understood not only as a lack of material resources but also as a significant deficit in social recognition, encompassing respect and social esteem. By situating poverty within the institutionalized order of recognition, the paper highlights how poverty both stems from and contributes to a lack of recognition, leading to social exclusion, shame, and stigmatization. The theoretical approach is complemented by selected empirical studies that illustrate the lived experiences of poverty, emphasizing the emotional and psychological impacts that extend beyond material deprivation. While the paper advances the theoretical understanding of poverty, it also identifies gaps in the current research, particularly the need for more empirical studies to substantiate these claims. Future research could expand upon these insights through cross-cultural studies and empirical investigations that further explore the connection between recognition and poverty. This work lays the groundwork for a deeper exploration of poverty as a social phenomenon that transcends economic metrics, advocating for a more holistic approach to poverty research.

Enhancing the Collective Psychological Ownership of Young Adult Social Workers in Chinese Organizational Contexts: A Recognition Perspective

ABSTRACT Informed by the recognition theory conceptualized by Axel Honneth, this study examined collective psychological ownership (CPO) and mis(recognition) perceived and experienced by young adult social workers (YASWs) aged 21–29. Using thematic analysis, the study thoroughly examined 16 transcripts collected from individual interviews and three focus group transcripts. The findings revealed that 1) recognition from different sources may foster a sense of commitment and encourage continued contributions among YASWs; (2) the effects of various forms of social recognition, including care/support, respect, and social esteem, on CPO may vary depending on different features of the recognition; (3) misrecognition encountered by YASWs on various levels in organizational contexts, including deprivation of care/support, undermining of agency, and diminution of esteem, may harm their CPO; and (4) social recognition can influence YASWs’ career planning, and excessive dependence on social recognition may have negative consequences for their CPO. The findings of this study also showed the constraining effects of contextual factors such as policy shortcomings, excessive workloads, and dynamics among stakeholders on the exercise and power of (mis)recognition. This study sheds light on the development of recognition-based human resources strategies in social service organizational contexts, with the aim of fostering a work climate characterized by sharedness.

THE I AND WE: STUDIES IN THE THEORY OF RECOGNITION (BY AXEL HONNETH)

This review discusses Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition, which is further developed in his book The I in We: Studies in the Theory of Recognition. All parts of The I in We will be discussed through the lens of Honneth’s theory of intersubjectivity. The main task primarily consists in an exploration of the theoretical underpinnings and the evolution of Honneth’s theory of recognition, initially found in Part I, “Hegelian Roots.” Subsequently, a substantial analysis of The I in We in the chronological order will be performed, to situate the notion of recognition within a broader context of Honneth’s text.

Memahami Pluralitas Kemanusiaan dalam Pandangan Axel Honneth dan Y.B. Mangunwijaya

Indonesia’s rich tapestry of religion, culture, tribe, race, and ethnicity has led to a diverse and pluralistic society. However, over time, this diversity has been scrutinized, and instances of radicalism and violence in the name of religion and belief have become more frequent. To address these issues, the perspectives of Axel Honneth and Y.B. Mangunwijaya offer valuable insights into fostering humanitarian attitudes through the adaptation process. This study employs literature review and comparative analysis methods. Findings indicate that embracing plurality with a focus on human values is crucial for cultivating personal awareness of individual dignity. This awareness is essential for bridging divides and dismantling barriers that threaten national unity. Continuous conflict will persist if differences are always viewed with suspicion rather than as a source of richness. As Mangunwijaya noted, a nation cannot mature if it perceives differences as problems rather than assets. To advance towards a mature society, human values must underpin religious teachings, as this is the path to unity and peace. Similarly, Axel Honneth emphasizes the importance of recognition in overcoming social injustices and achieving liberation.

Between Virtuous Trust and Distrust: A Model of Political Ideologies in Times of Challenged Political Parties

Abstract The analytical model of political ideologies offered in this article describes the connection between rising levels of distrust towards societal institutions in modern democracies and how such developments has challenged traditional and long-standing political parties in the Western world, such as the Danish political party Radikale Venstre [the Danish Social-Liberal Party]. Through use of a tripartite model of trust developed by Arman Teymouri Niknam during his interpretation of Mary Wollstonecraft’s attitudes towards trust brought together with different aspects of Axel Honneth’s social-philosophical framework, Teymouri Niknam and Leif Hemming Pedersen show how distrust may be able to act as a progressive tool in the creation of a more just, diverse and equal future and also how a virtuous and healthy form of democracy is an ideal that can be challenging to realise in practice. Teymouri Niknam and Hemming Pedersen are thus able to point to the ways in which a healthy democracy needs a balance of virtuous trust and distrust in order to achieve a good amount of both stability and progress, thus pointing to a difficult balancing act that many traditional political parties find themselves struggling with especially at this point in time in many contemporary democracies.

Indigenous language and social justice as recognition: a participatory study with a Mapuce school

ABSTRACT The structure of the national educational system negatively affects the recognition of indigenous Mapuce people, who have been affected with regards to love, equal treatment and social esteem, as understood from the social justice approach of recognition described by Axel Honneth. This is evident in the indigenous knowledge and practices that have been removed from the Chilean school curriculum. This research was carried out through a participatory study using the dialogic-kishu kimkelay ta che methodology, forming a research community with professors, kimces and academics. The results relay, from the voices of the community, the work developed to reverse injustices such as disparagement toward the indigenous language at school, this was achieved through actions for reciprocal recognition based on the incorporation of educational practices associated with the language regarding sonority, nature and territory.

Why Do We Fear The Robopocalypse? Human Insecurity in The Age of Technophobia

The paper aims to determine where exactly fear of intelligent machines is located in the narrative layers embedded in science fiction film stories based on the intelligence explosion hypothesis. The analysis departs from the assumption that the Robopocaliptic narrative, a science fiction narrative depicting the dystopian future of human–robot relationship, is constitutive of the irrational technophobic stance widespread in the public opinion of today’s postindustrial societies. As narration plays an essential part in our daily reflective and social practices, we are naturally inclined to look for narrative structure in popular culture, particularly in film, the most popular form of visual art, and the easiest one to consume. Nine science fiction films have been selected as relevant empirical evidence: The Invisible Boy (1957), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Westworld(1973), Futureworld (1976), Demon Seed (1977), Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984), The Matrix (1999), Ex Machina (2015). The Robopocaliptic narrative interwoven with the themes of the analysed films uncovers four recurrent ideas or messages that create robotophobia: redundancy of the human race, moral indifference of robots, robots as emotional abusers, and the loss of control over one’s own mind and body. The author proposes that these four ideas or messages mirror four layers of fear, all pointing to a meta-fear: the fear of rejection to be recognised and treated as a morally worth human being. In conclusion, the author suggests that Axel Honneth’s concept of recognition opens a plausible avenue to clarify the roots of the fear of the Robopocalypse.

The regenerative liminalities of Global Citizenship Education

Abstract Global citizenship education (GCE) is an active entanglement in the civic priorities of the planet. In recent research, the concept has emerged as a multivalent coalescence of being, an engagement with planetary tensions and revisions of cosmopolitan ideology. In this article, I argue for a theoretical interpretation of GCE reliant on liminal-oriented practice and the potentialities of regenerative agency. Privileging Axel Honneth’s interpretation of social freedom and Boaventura de Sousa Santos’ postabyssal thinking, I argue that interfaces with the limit of our global perception reveal the regenerative qualities of our relations, allowing us to conceive ourselves as uniquely influenced by globality and possessing critical agency for otherness. Although such global perceptions can only ever be wrought within the ideological constraints of locality, a globally situated agency is more agile as a regenerative set of dispositions and interknowledge ‘globalities’. I further argue that regenerative liminalities hold significant implications for teaching and learning, as they signify the importance of a global consciousness over a technologically rationalized competency-based approach.

The Narrow Definition of Genocide & Its Role in Investigating and Prosecuting Charges of Genocide in Romania

ABSTRACT The definition of genocide employed by the United Nations is criticized for failing to protect certain groups from abuses conducted by state entities. Drawing from the case study of Romania, this article explores how the narrow definition of genocide impacts the assessment and prosecution of charges of genocide during the process of transition from communism to democracy. Furthermore, drawing on Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition, the research explores how this restrictive interpretation of genocide undermines victims’ claims to justice and recognition, revealing that the strict interpretation of genocide hinders transitional justice efforts and erodes trust in state institutions.

Humour versus dignity in the public sphere

Dignity is an important—perhaps even essential—aspect of a functioning public sphere: one where citizens can meet each other as equals and respectful antagonists in the exchange of different perspectives and reasoned opinions. This potentially poses a problem, however, for those who seek to invoke humour as a productive element of public conversation and deliberation. Even when humour is not explicitly critical, to treat a subject or person in comic terms is potentially to threaten their dignity in ways that could undermine their ability to meaningfully participate in the public sphere. In this article I argue that there is a need to more fully theorise ‘dignity’ in order to understand how humour circulates and functions in the public sphere. To that end, I first draw upon Axel Honneth’s political theory of recognition as the basis for an expanded conception of dignity that can be understood as the basis for claiming membership of a political community. This model is then tested through a consideration of the physical comedy of ‘pie-ing’ as an example of the elementary conflict between humour and dignity. Finally, the concept of comic indignity is explored as a way to consider which members of a public sphere can afford to suffer slights to their dignity, which cannot, and how this unequal vulnerability to humour might provide the basis for a new model for assessing the politics of humour in the public sphere.

Encounters with Care in a Scottish Residential School in the 1980s

The meaning of care in residential child care is under-developed. It can often be represented through its absence, seen as offering at best basic physical tending but lacking emotional connection or warmth. At worst, residential care settings said to be institutionally abusive can be characterised as being antithetical to what we might imagine care should be. Residential schools and especially those run by religious orders attract particular opprobrium in this regard. In this article, I adopt a broadly autoethnographic approach to reflect on how boys (now men in their late 40s and early 50s) brought up in the 1980s in a Scottish residential school recall being cared for. The article uses Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition and its three pillars of love, rights and solidarity to group themes from how former pupils speak about their experiences of care. These accounts challenge the received narrative of such settings failing to offer care. The discussion reflects some ideas around care and about how we understand public care historically.

“The Task of Critique is to Question the Ontological Premises of our Identity”. An Interview with Axel Honneth

Axel Honneth is internationally renowned for being one of the leading political and social philosophers of our time, and is highly regarded for his work on recognition and the struggles for recognition. In this interview, he discusses his work over the past four decades, starting from the rise of his intellectual vocation to his most recent book on the sovereignty of work. The text is a transcript, revised by the author, of the dialogue Honneth had with his interviewers and the audience at the masterclass held on 24 May 2023 at the University of Trento, as part of the first series of lectures “Voices from Contemporary Philosophy”.

The interest of Critique and its origins. An introduction to the translation of Axel Honneth's "Is there an emancipatory interest?"

Apresentação à tradução de “Existe um interesse emancipatório do conhecimento?”, de Axel Honneth.

Caring for Undocumented Migrants: Significance of Recognition and Respect during Healthcare Encounters

Undocumented migrants are often in a position of extreme vulnerability and experience many barriers to accessing mental health care. It is crucial that health professionals understand this and quickly establish trust and respect. If the stressful living conditions that contribute to the distress of undocumented migrants are recognized, compassionate and trauma-informed care is enhanced. In this regard, it is important that health professionals understand the fear of being expelled from a country. This paper discusses problems that arise when health professionals interact with undocumented migrants and the need to quickly convey recognition to establish trust and respect. We argue that insights from Axel Honneth’s social philosophical theory of recognition and disrespect can further enhance health professionals strategies to improve their verbal and non-verbal communication and thereby increase access to health care for undocumented migrants. We suggest ideas for codifying this knowledge in health care policies and guidelines.

Reconsidering Recognition in the Lives of Children and Young People in Care: Insights from the Mockingbird Family in South Australia

This study explored the experiences of children and young people in the Mockingbird Family, South Australia, during implementation and roll-out. The study involved semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of 54 participants, including 21 children and young people, 12 foster carers, and 14 agency workers. Thematic analysis, with the application of Axel Honneth’s recognition theory, showed the Mockingbird Family model to validate the emotional, cognitive, and social support needs of children and young people. Through interconnected experience, the nurturing of care and the promotion of rights-based, holistic approaches were crucial for achieving social recognition, dignity, and developmental growth. The study indicates the potential benefits of the Mockingbird Family model for addressing the needs of children and young people in care. The research suggests that a community-based support model such as the Mockingbird Family should be considered in child welfare practices. However, further research is necessary to fully understand the model’s long-term effects and justify its integration into wider child welfare policies.