File spoon-archives/habermas.archive/habermas_2000/habermas.0001, message 8


Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 15:53:27 -0600
From: Tony Lack <alack-AT-lee.edu>
Subject: Re: HAB: Habermas and exclusion of minority groups



>I struggling to make sense of how Habermas would fit exclusion of 
>minority groups such as immigrants and, in the most extreme version, 
>bag people. Considering Strukturwandel der ffentlichkeit, i find it 
>to be a symptom of excessive colonisation of the intimate sphere 
>(i'm not sure of the english translation of the terms) by the 
>structural spheres such as the economic and the personal.
>Am i on the right track?
>Does he describe the problem of exclusion in any articles?
>
>Thank you
>J.S.Pedersen
>
>Dear 	J.S.,


  	There are at least two ways to think about Habermas and the 
issue of exclusion. I am not sure exactly what you are after, so i 
will touch briefly on both approaches.

	First, where does Habermas himself discuss the problem of 
exclusion, and who/what is the mechanism of exclusion?  I think your 
assumptions about 'colonization' are accurate but it is a phenomenon 
that is not limited to the intimisphere.  If you look at Legitimation 
Crisis, which comes a little later than Strukturwandel ... you'll 
find him articulating a theory of 'exclusion' (in some sense) where 
the state and the market colonize or undermine other institutions. 
This creates a number of 'crisis tendencies' in the society; people 
don't believe in the system, they see how corrupt it is, they don't 
want to work anymore, they care only for themselves and do not extend 
solidarity to others, etc, and they drop out or become cynical or 
apathetic. I think he is talking here of exclusion of 'the public' 
rather than of minority groups, but you might be able to see how 
different groups are adversely affected by certain aspects of 
colonization.

I think that Habermas continues this basic of theme colonization and 
exclusion at least up through Theory of Coommunicative Action, Vols 1 
and 2.  See his reinterpretation of Weber and of Durkheim especially.

	Now, there is a second question that one might ask; Are 
Habermas's responses to what he class colonization, his theories 
about Discourse Ethics and Law, also exclusionary?  Are minorities 
and members of the working class in any way excluded from 
participation in Discourses about society or law?

Many have taken this question up.  If you are asking about this, then 
see Axel Honneth's, Essays in Social and Political Philosophy, 
especially chapters 10 and 12.

There is a recent book out-- maybe someone can help me remember the 
title-- a collection of essays that touch on issues of 
marginalization and exclusion.

Tony Lack

>
>     --- from list habermas-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---


<excerpt>I struggling to make sense of how Habermas would fit exclusion
of minority groups such as immigrants and, in the most extreme version,
bag people. Considering Strukturwandel der ffentlichkeit, i find it to
be a symptom of excessive colonisation of the intimate sphere (i'm not
sure of the english translation of the terms) by the structural spheres
such as the economic and the personal.

Am i on the right track?

Does he describe the problem of exclusion in any articles?


Thank you 

J.S.Pedersen


Dear 	J.S.,

</excerpt>


 	There are at least two ways to think about Habermas and the issue of
exclusion. I am not sure exactly what you are after, so i will touch
briefly on both approaches.


	First, where does Habermas himself discuss the problem of exclusion,
and who/what is the mechanism of exclusion?  I think your assumptions
about 'colonization' are accurate but it is a phenomenon that is not
limited to the intimisphere.  If you look at Legitimation Crisis, which
comes a little later than Strukturwandel ... you'll find him
articulating a theory of 'exclusion' (in some sense) where the state
and the market colonize or undermine other institutions.  This creates
a number of 'crisis tendencies' in the society; people don't believe in
the system, they see how corrupt it is, they don't want to work
anymore, they care only for themselves and do not extend solidarity to
others, etc, and they drop out or become cynical or apathetic. I think
he is talking here of exclusion of 'the public' rather than of minority
groups, but you might be able to see how different groups are adversely
affected by certain aspects of colonization.   


I think that Habermas continues this basic of theme colonization and
exclusion at least up through Theory of Coommunicative Action, Vols 1
and 2.  See his reinterpretation of Weber and of Durkheim especially.


	Now, there is a second question that one might ask; Are Habermas's
responses to what he class colonization, his theories about Discourse
Ethics and Law, also exclusionary?  Are minorities and members of the
working class in any way excluded from participation in Discourses
about society or law?


Many have taken this question up.  If you are asking about this, then
see Axel Honneth's, <underline>Essays in Social and Political
Philosophy</underline>, especially chapters 10 and 12.     


There is a recent book out-- maybe someone can help me remember the
title-- a collection of essays that touch on issues of marginalization
and exclusion.


Tony Lack


<excerpt>

     --- from list habermas-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

</excerpt>



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