Recognition (PDF)

A tension between the desire to be respected as an equal and the
desire to distinguish oneself as a unique person lies at the heart
of the modern social order. Everyone cares about recognition: no
one wants to be treated with disrespect, insulted, humiliated, or
simply ignored. This basic motivation drives the 'politics of
recognition' which we see in those struggles for inclusion
and equality in relation to gender, ethnicity, race and sexuality
and which seek to affirm the public value of these particular
identities.

In this compelling new book Cillian McBride argues that the notion
of recognition is not merely confined to these struggles, but has a
long history, from ancient ethical ideals centred on the
achievement of honour and glory, to Enlightenment ideals of human
dignity and equality. He explores the politics of cultural rights
and recognition, the conflict between dignity and esteem, the role
of shame and stigma in systems of social control and punishment,
the prospects for a just society in which everyone receives the
recognition they deserve, and the way in which we come to be
independent, self-determining persons through negotiating the
networks of social recognition we inhabit.

Recognition will be essential reading for students in
philosophy and political theory, and any general readers interested
in trying to understand and evaluate the role of recognition in the
modern world.