The Politics of Recognition and Identity

This module examines some of the major debates surrounding the “struggle for recognition” and its relation to the politics of identity and difference. It explores why recognition is an essential human need and how it is foundational to the ways in which we conceive of ourselves and others. It also studies how recognition struggles are often seen as underwriting many contemporary political and social movements (in Singapore and internationally), and how they relate to concerns about justice, equality and freedom. Finally, it examines if recognition might, oddly enough, itself become a means of oppression and injustice.