On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education

While relatively unknown in education circles, the work of Axel Honneth, Director of the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt (site of the famous Frankfurt School), is starting to gain prominence in Sociology, Political Science and Philosophy. The interest in his work revolves primarily around...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mark Murphy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The International Education Studies Association 2010-01-01
Series:Educational Futures
Subjects:
Online Access:https://educationstudies.org.uk/?p=490
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850111282679644160
author Mark Murphy
author_facet Mark Murphy
author_sort Mark Murphy
collection DOAJ
description While relatively unknown in education circles, the work of Axel Honneth, Director of the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt (site of the famous Frankfurt School), is starting to gain prominence in Sociology, Political Science and Philosophy. The interest in his work revolves primarily around his theory of recognition, and how it situates itself in comparison to other theorists such as Charles Taylor and Nancy Fraser. In summary, these theorists argue that the drive towards personal autonomy can only be achieved intersubjectively – through the process of recognition from significant others. This shift away from the atomistic tradition in philosophy allows Honneth to explore traditional Frankfurt School themes like individual freedom within a relational context, leading him to develop an elaborate theory of social justice and conflict. Most importantly it provides him with a normative grounding upon which to build a distinctive version of critical theory, one which connects everyday human concerns about identity and respect to broader struggles over exclusion. The purpose of the current paper is to explore how such an expansive social theory could be applied to the field of education. In particular, the paper will examine the significance for teaching and learning of his core ideas on identity formation – self-confidence, self-respect and self-esteem. The argument will draw on two key works: The struggle for recognition: the moral grammar of social conflicts (1995); and Disrespect: the normative foundations of critical theory (2007).
format Article
id doaj-art-d05d1bc35fc24206b0b73dcde3ad7c5d
institution OA Journals
issn 1758-2199
language English
publishDate 2010-01-01
publisher The International Education Studies Association
record_format Article
series Educational Futures
spelling doaj-art-d05d1bc35fc24206b0b73dcde3ad7c5d2025-08-20T02:37:38ZengThe International Education Studies AssociationEducational Futures1758-21992010-01-0122311On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and educationMark Murphy0University of ChesterWhile relatively unknown in education circles, the work of Axel Honneth, Director of the Institute of Social Research in Frankfurt (site of the famous Frankfurt School), is starting to gain prominence in Sociology, Political Science and Philosophy. The interest in his work revolves primarily around his theory of recognition, and how it situates itself in comparison to other theorists such as Charles Taylor and Nancy Fraser. In summary, these theorists argue that the drive towards personal autonomy can only be achieved intersubjectively – through the process of recognition from significant others. This shift away from the atomistic tradition in philosophy allows Honneth to explore traditional Frankfurt School themes like individual freedom within a relational context, leading him to develop an elaborate theory of social justice and conflict. Most importantly it provides him with a normative grounding upon which to build a distinctive version of critical theory, one which connects everyday human concerns about identity and respect to broader struggles over exclusion. The purpose of the current paper is to explore how such an expansive social theory could be applied to the field of education. In particular, the paper will examine the significance for teaching and learning of his core ideas on identity formation – self-confidence, self-respect and self-esteem. The argument will draw on two key works: The struggle for recognition: the moral grammar of social conflicts (1995); and Disrespect: the normative foundations of critical theory (2007).https://educationstudies.org.uk/?p=490honnethsocial justice
spellingShingle Mark Murphy
On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education
Educational Futures
honneth
social justice
title On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education
title_full On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education
title_fullStr On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education
title_full_unstemmed On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education
title_short On recognition and respect: Honneth, intersubjectivity and education
title_sort on recognition and respect honneth intersubjectivity and education
topic honneth
social justice
url https://educationstudies.org.uk/?p=490
work_keys_str_mv AT markmurphy onrecognitionandrespecthonnethintersubjectivityandeducation