Redistribution and Recognition: Calling Paradigms of Justice into Question

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Abstracts submission by MARCH 10, 2017

Paper proposals are welcome for the Italian-French journée d’étude Redistribution and Recognition: Calling Paradigms of Justice into Question, funded by the French Embassy in Italy, which will be held at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Catania, Italy, on May 5, 2017. 

Since 2009 the Department has been hosting scholars from all over the world within the Colloquium of Philosophy and Global Affairs of which the journée is part (see the whole program here). The journée d'étude aims at encouraging reflections about social justice by questioning the competing and yet perhaps complementary paradigms centered on redistribution and recognition. The philosophical reflection on these paradigms will be enriched by contributions from neighboring disciplines. Graduate students as well as junior and senior researchers are welcome to submit their work.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Luigi Caranti, University of Catania – Director of the Colloquium of Philosophy and Global Affairs

Caroline Guibet Lafaye, CNRs – Centre M. Halbwachs, Paris

Christian Lazzeri, Université de Paris X Ouest Nanterre La Défense – Laboratoire “Sophiapol”

Redistribution and Recognition: Calling Paradigms of Justice into Question

In the last few decades, theorists have increasingly questioned the “redistribution” and “recognition” paradigms of justice, in an attempt to grasp their multifaceted meaning and particular relationship. In current representations, redistribution interprets justice in terms of goods to be distributed, while recognition interprets justice in cultural, symbolic, psychological terms. The relationship between redistribution in terms of resources to be shared, and recognition in terms of identities and equal moral worth, has been represented in many different and conflicting ways. Given the increased importance of the struggles for recognition in the contemporary ethical and political arena, some theorists have claimed that recognition outcomes have ended up obscuring distributive ones; whereas other theorists believe that recognition itself motivates distributive issues (A. Honneth). In this rich debate, concerns regarding economism, understood as the exclusive focus on social class issues, and cultural reductionism, intended as the prioritization of cultural aspects, are constantly represented. A need to go beyond these categories has also arisen (J. Butler); some believe that the opposition between the two paradigms is nothing but a false antithesis, i.e. although distributive claims are different from those of recognition, they cannot be thought of separately (N. Fraser). Today, their relationship – that is, the distributive side of recognition, and the recognition content of distribution – as well as their pertinence continue to open up new questions. How are we to progress in understanding these claims and their relationship? What options remain in the conceptualization of these paradigms? The debate paves the way to a critical rethinking of the terms we use to conceptualize social justice. Not only are the notions of redistribution and recognition thus re-examined, but also the broad key concepts of justice, equality, difference, participation, citizenship, democracy, emancipation, come to the fore.

ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION

Proposals for papers exploring the topic from any academic orientation are welcome. We expect most of the presentations to be given in English. Papers might be taken into consideration for publication.

Abstracts should contain no more than 400 words. Please include your name, affiliation and a short biography in the text of the email. Send your proposals to [email protected], by March 10, 2017.

Notification of acceptance: March 18, 2017.

ACCESS AND ACCOMMODATION

No fees of registration are required. Unfortunately, we cannot offer any subsidy for travel and accomodation costs, but you can get reduced prices. Participants as speakers and audience who wish to benefit from reduced prices for hotels and restaurants are asked to confirm their participation by 20 March, 2017. On 5 May 2017, free lunch is provided for all speakers. 

ORGANIZATION

Denise Celentano, PhD student – University of Catania / École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris

Please address any further queries to [email protected]