Witnessing: Beyond Recognition

by Kelly Oliver

Challenging the fundamental tenet of the multicultural movement -- that social struggles turning upon race, gender, and sexuality are struggles for recognition -- this work offers a powerful critique of current conceptions of identity and subjectivity based on Hegelian notions of recognition. The author's critical engagement with major texts of contemporary philosophy prepares the way for a highly original conception of ethics based on witnessing.Central to this project is Oliver's contention that the demand for recognition is a symptom of the pathology of oppression that perpetuates subject-object and same-different hierarchies. While theorists across the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences focus their research on multiculturalism around the struggle for recognition, Oliver argues that the actual texts and survivors' accounts from the aftermath of the Holocaust and slavery are testimonials to a pathos that is "beyond recognition".

Oliver traces many of the problems with the recognition model of subjective identity to a particular notion of vision presupposed in theories of recognition and misrecognition. Contesting the idea of an objectifying gaze, she reformulates vision as a loving look that facilitates connection rather than necessitates alienation. As an alternative, Oliver develops a theory of witnessing subjectivity. She suggests that the notion of witnessing, with its double meaning as either eyewitness or bearing witness to the unseen, is more promising than recognition for describing the onset and sustenance of subjectivity. Subjectivity is born out of and sustained by the process of witnessing -- the possibility of address and response -- which puts ethicalobligations at its heart.

Genres: Philosophy

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of five mysteries series:
Jessica James Mysteries (contemporary suspense), Pet Detective Mysteries (middle grade), Fiona Figg Mysteries (historical cozies), The Detection Club Mysteries (traditional), and The Silver Belles series (contemporary).

When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.

Kelly lives in Nashville with three very demanding felines.

To learn more about Kelly and her books, please visit her website at www.kellyoliverbooks.com.

Reviews

[Tye! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granted I read this book in a Creative Writing course—so my access to it is quite privileged and guided, Oliver makes you question so much about how you view and appeal to the reality of this world. After reading I felt as though my eyes had been working wrong the entire time. I wasn’t just seeing others wrong, I was seeing HOW I SEE others wrong. That is, my own internal understanding of my empathy felt warped and skewed.

Of course, like any other theorist, I’ll pose questions and thoughts to the ideas Oliver presents. Though, she makes it difficult to stand against the ideas she has. Simply put, for almost all of the book, I believe her. And in the parts where questions arose, I didn’t feel the uncomfortable need to resist, but a desire to understand.

[Scarlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, clearly written book. Empathetic whilst providing a non-utopian methodology for thinking around the prerequisite of Hegelian suffering= constituting a subject. Glad I found it after leaving Fanon/ Beauvoir with many questions!