Judith Butler’s recent work is exemplary of the trend in contemporary theory to consider ethics. Her deliberation over ethical questions, and the place of ethics in intellectual work, has undeniably intensified since September 11. This article will demonstrate, however, that this is a rendering explicit of what has always been implicit in her work. Rather than perceiving the ethical dimension of Butler’s writings in her increasing interest in thinkers such as Emmanuel Levinas and Hannah Arendt, I contend that it is in her sustained interest in Hegel, and specifically in Hegelian recognition, that her work can be read as engaged with ethical concerns. This article highlights the growing critical concern with the prevalence of recognition in ethical theory and questions the possibility of theorising ethics outside of the recognition-paradigm.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Human Society
Research Group:	Gender studies
Research Field:	Feminist theory
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in philosophy and religious studies
UTAS Author:	Stark, HL (Associate Professor Hannah Stark)
ID Code:	90356
Year Published:	2014
Web of Science® Times Cited:	8
Deposited By:	School of Humanities
Deposited On:	2014-04-01
Last Modified:	2015-04-13
Downloads:	1 View Download Statistics