The Politics of Recognition in the Age of Digital Spaces: Appearing Together

This book provides a philosophical analysis of the notion of selfhood that underlies identity politics. It offers a unique theory of the self that combines previous scholarly work on recognition and the phenomenology of space. It argues that all politics is concerned with matters of selfhood and identity and that contemporary social media technologies facilitate the production of particular forms of selfhood through the combined logics of the interface, the profile, and the post.

Format: Hardback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The notion of selfhood, which underpins identity politics, is explored philosophically in this book. It provides a distinctive theory of the self by integrating earlier research on recognition and the phenomenology of space. Identity politics is a contentious issue, with marginalized and oppressed groups striving for a transformation of our common social world and political institutions to ensure their well-being. Public criticism and academic analyses of identity politics frequently portray it as subordinate to broader political concerns about justice, social organization, and institutional arrangements. This book contends that these debates overlook the numerous ways in which all politics are concerned with issues of selfhood and identity. It reinterprets Hegel's account of recognition as an ongoing and dynamic process that constitutes the self, presenting selves and the categories of identity that qualify these selves as fundamentally shaped by the environments in which they appear before themselves and others. Furthermore, it argues that we perform the work of identity in public spaces, particularly digital spaces, and that these spaces shape what identities we can assume and what those identities mean. Contemporary social media technologies facilitate the production of specific forms of selfhood through the combined logics of the interface, profile, and post.
The Politics of Recognition in the Age of Digital Spaces is a valuable resource for scholars and advanced students engaged in a diverse array of disciplines, including political philosophy, phenomenology, philosophy of technology, sociology, political theory, and critical theory. It will also interest individuals with an interest in the broader implications of identity politics and the role of technology in shaping our identities.

Weight: 720g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032539027