Revolutionary Recognition

Description

Revolutionary Recognition represents a major contribution to contemporary political theory. It argues that human emancipation is only possible in a society characterised by 'mutual recognition'. In present-day political theory, the term 'recognition' has become popular and widely discussed, but has become synonymous with reformist scenarios, such as social democratic politics and the politics of identity. Richard Gunn and Adrian Wilding undertake a comprehensive critique of existing understandings of recognition, particularly those of Axel Honneth and Charles Taylor, returning 'recognition' to its original meaning in the work of Hegel and Marx, and showing how mutual recognition has revolutionary rather than merely reformist implications. Gunn's and Wilding's work is unapologetically political and introduces a new principle – 'mutual recognition' – around which radical politics can organise. This book is a ground-breaking contribution to left wing theory and is relevant as both a scholarly text and a rallying cry to the Left. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Foreword by John Holloway Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Hegel’s dangerous idea Recognition in the Phenomenology Recognition in Hegel’s later work Revolutionary recognition Chapter 2: Marx as thinker of recognition Marx on commodity exchange Marx on property Marx on class Marx on communism Chapter 3: Revolutionary or less-than-revolutionary recognition? Recognition and multiculturalism Recognition in Honneth A return to revolutionary recognition Chapter 4: Mutual recognition in practice Hierarchy or horizontalism? Commoning and the problem of scale Chapter 5: Recognition’s environment Red and green Environmental justice as mutual recognition Property or planet Recognition’s environment Conclusion Notes Foreword Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 References Name & Subject Index