Redistribution or Recognition

In this debate political philosophers Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth set out to advance the discussion in political philosophy regarding the increasingly polarised political positions of redistribution or recognition, that is, the politics of difference or the politics of equality. Proponents of each position claim the invalidity of the other; that identity politics are a hinderance to the pursuit of social justice, and that distributive politics are an outmoded materialism that can neither articulate nor challenge the key experience of injustice experienced from the perspective of 'ethnic', 'racial', 'sexual', or 'gender' difference. This situation exemplifies a broader phenomenon: the widespread decoupling of cultural politics from social politics. Into this debate, the authors examine the philosophical legitimacy of each position, as well as the implications and possibilities of a new socially just politics.