The Other Side of Empathy

Jade E. Davis challenges the value of empathy as an affective or critical tool, arguing that it can obscure relationships of dominance, control, submission, and victimization. She suggests that mutual recognition is a more effective way to understand and experience others beyond colonial modes of empathy, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the colonial past and its ongoing impact.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 136 pages
Publication date: 04 August 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In her book "The Other Side of Empathy," Jade E. Davis challenges the notion of empathy as a purely affective or critical tool, arguing that it can obscure the relationships of dominance, control, submission, and victimization. Whether examining technology, colonialism, or racism, Davis demonstrates how empathy can perpetuate these histories, tainting the very concept of empathy. By drawing on digital archives encompassing photographs, memoirs, newspapers, interviews, and advertisements related to nineteenth-century ethnographic museums and human zoos, Davis showcases how empathetic responses erase culpabilities from these institutions that commodify difference. Furthermore, she argues that empathy's mediation through digital technology cannot lead to more ethical actions, as technology merely connects representations of people rather than the people themselves.

In place of empathy, Davis proposes mutual recognition as a means to perceive and engage with others beyond colonial modes of empathy. Through her illustrations, Davis demonstrates that moving beyond empathy enables a more nuanced understanding of the colonial past and its ongoing impact, while also fostering a more meaningful and affective connection with the world. By challenging the limitations of empathy and advocating for mutual recognition, Davis offers a valuable perspective on the complexities of human relationships and the importance of seeking alternative approaches to understanding and compassion.

Weight: 218g
Dimension: 150 x 229 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478025016