The Experience of Injustice: A Theory of Recognition (New Directions in Critical Theory, 70)

In __The Experience of Injustice__, the French philosopher Emmanuel Renault opens an important new chapter in critical theory. Inspired by Axel Honneth, Renault argues that a radicalized version of Honneth’s ethics of recognition can provide a systematic alternative to the liberal-democratic projects of such thinkers as Rawls and Habermas. In The Experience of Injustice , the French philosopher Emmanuel Renault opens an important new chapter in critical theory. He brings together political theory, critical social science, and a keen sense of the power of popular movements to offer a forceful vision of social justice. Questioning normative political philosophy's conception of justice, Renault gives an account of injustice as the denial of recognition, placing the experience of social suffering at the heart of contemporary critical theory. Inspired by Axel Honneth, Renault argues that a radicalized version of Honneth's ethics of recognition can provide a systematic alternative to the liberal-democratic projects of such thinkers as Rawls and Habermas. Renault reformulates Honneth's theory as a framework founded on experiences of injustice. He develops a complex, psychoanalytically rich account of suffering, disaffiliation, and identity loss to explain these experiences as denials of recognition, linking everyday injustice to a robust defense of the politicization of identity in social struggles. Engaging contemporary French and German critical theory alongside interdisciplinary tools from sociology, psychoanalysis, socialist political theory, social-movement theory, and philosophy, Renault articulates the importance of a theory of recognition for the resurgence of social critique. "Emmanuel Renault's book opens an important new chapter in critical theory that goes well beyond the model it takes its inspiration from, Axel Honneth's "ethics of recognition." Renault argues that a radicalized theory of recognition, inspired by the work of Honneth, can provide a systematic alternative to the liberal-democratic projects of such thinkers as Rawls and Habermas. It places social suffering at the heart of a critical theory of justice and utilizes as its foundation a complex, psychoanalytically rich account of suffering and identity. Renault's book draws on a variety of theoretical sources and a wide range of critical-theoretical paradigms, including Habermasian and post-Habermasian critical theory (Habermas, Honneth, Fraser), communitarianism (Taylor), and French critical theory (Foucault, Ranciere, Bourdieu). It also brings the recognition paradigm into a sustained conversation with social movement theory, psychoanalysis, and socialist political thought"-- Provided by publisher "Emmanuel Renault's book opens an important new chapter in critical theory that goes well beyond the model it takes its inspiration from, Axel Honneth's "ethics of recognition." Renault argues that a radicalized theory of recognition, inspired by the work of Honneth, can provide a systematic alternative to the liberal-democratic projects of such thinkers as Rawls and Habermas. It places social suffering at the heart of a critical theory of justice and utilizes as its foundation a complex, psychoanalytically rich account of suffering and identity. Renault's book draws on a variety of theoretical sources and a wide range of critical-theoretical paradigms, including Habermasian and post-Habermasian critical theory (Habermas, Honneth, Fraser), communitarianism (Taylor), and French critical theory (Foucault, Ranciere, Bourdieu). It also brings the recognition paradigm into a sustained conversation with social movement theory, psychoanalysis, and socialist political thought" -- Prové de l'editor CONTENTS TRANSLATOR’S NOTE PREFACE INTRODUCTION. Political Philosophy and the Clinic of Injustice PART I Injustice and the Denial of Recognition Chapter One. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND CRITIQUE OF POLITICS Chapter Two. THE APORIAS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE Chapter Three. THE INSTITUTIONS OF INJUSTICE PART II The Politics of Identity and Politics in Identity Chapter Four. IDENTITY AS THE EXPERIENCE OF INJUSTICE Chapter Five. A DEFENSE OF IDENTITY POLITICS PART III Social Suffering Chapter Six. SOCIAL CRITIQUE AS A VOICE FOR SUFFERING Chapter Seven. RECOGNITION AND PSYCHIC SUFFERING CONCLUSION. Critique as a Voice Against Injustice NOTES INDEX NEW DIRECTIONS IN CRITICAL THEORY