Welcome
The purpose of this site is to inform and connect individual researchers and research teams involved in developing the theory of recognition around the world.
This page provides links to key references in the philosophy and politics of recognition, and to other online resources including the site blog.
Why Recognition?
We all have an intuitive sense of what it means to have a need for recognition, to demand recognition, and to struggle for recognition. This practical, pre-theoretical understanding is part of the ‘lifeworld’ we inhabit and it shapes our sense of what is socially and politically significant.
Over the past two decades or so various philosophical accounts of recognition have been proposed. While it is now widely acknowledged that demands and struggles for recognition are a salient feature of modern social and political life, the precise nature, extent and legitimacy of those demands is hotly disputed.
There is also debate amongst philosophers about the broader significance of recognition. For some, recognition is a fundamental concept which is decisive for understanding not only contemporary political reality but all things human. Theorists of this type argue that recognition is crucial for selfhood, rationality and sociality - or whatever it is that makes us who or what we are. Others are more sceptical and see recognition as just one dimension of social life amongst others.
The meaning and legitimacy of particular demands for recognition, as well as the role of recognition in shaping human life forms generally, are key topics of contemporary philosophical debate. We hope that the recognition forum will help clarify the stakes of this debate and facilitate its advancement.
Site and Forum Membership
To join the Forum, which enables you to participate in the discussions and send information concerning conferences and on-line resources click here. Suggestions for publications and dissertations to be included in the bibliographies should be sent to one of the editors, jp.deranty@mq.edu.au, heikki.ikaheimo@mq.edu.au, or nicholas.smith@mq.edu.au.
Existing members can login via the Forum page.
Welcome to the Forum. The Recognitionforum has just been lauched and we welcome anyone interested in the philosophy and politics of recognition to join in and draw on the resources the site makes available. Over the past few weeks we have been consolidating the bibliographical material and there is now plenty of useful information available there. We encourage forum members to add more references, and of course to correct any errors. Please use the forum to post information about conferences and events in the area, as well as new projects, scholarships and research positions. We hope that teachers of the theory of recognition will also find the forum useful, and we encourage them to use it as a teaching resource. Above all, we hope that the forum will be used to share ideas about recognition and that it will evolve into a lively forum for debate.
As we go on-line, we would like to express warm thanks to Carl Windhorst and Ruth Cox for fantastic work in setting up the site. This work was financed by a grant from the Australian Research Council, and we thank the ARC for their support.
Last Updated (Monday, 12 April 2010 03:53)
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