Sentimental politics or responding to structural injustice? The ambivalence of emotions for political responsibility

Head, N. (2020) Sentimental politics or responding to structural injustice? The ambivalence of emotions for political responsibility. International Theory, 12(3), pp. 337-357. (doi: 10.1017/S175297192000007X)

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Abstract

Stories and representations of suffering are frequently central to attempts to arouse our emotions and initiate political action. Yet, the evocation of emotion and, in particular, empathy, remains politically ambivalent. It does not necessarily lead to the acknowledgement of political responsibility or to actions to address the historically-constituted roots of contemporary structural injustices. Moving beyond the legal, moral, and institutional boundaries of political responsibility, this article argues for greater recognition of its affective dimensions. In particular, it differentiates between a sentimental politics and testimonial empathy to better understand the affective dynamics of political responsibility. While the former finds close company with pity and a lack of acknowledged political responsibility, the latter offers an ethical–political orientation towards radical reflexivity and social transformation, situating experiences of injustice within wider networks of power, privilege, and agency. Drawing on the work of feminist, cultural, and social theorists, the article offers a critical conceptualisation of testimonial empathy and its limits. The article illustrates the insights offered by re-thinking political responsibility in terms of testimonial empathy through a close reading of a historical account of structural injustice – slavery in the United States – as written in Harriet A. Jacobs’ 1861 slave narrative.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Head, Professor Naomi
Authors: Head, N.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
Journal Name:International Theory
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:1752-9719
ISSN (Online):1752-9727
Published Online:08 May 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © The Author(s), 2020
First Published:First published in International Theory 12(3):337 - 357
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy
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