Democracy and the Arts

Fictional texts have played a key role in Western societies in broadening the definition of what constitutes justice from issues of distribution to questions of recognition. In its first part, this essay describes three major reasons why fictional texts have gained central cultural importance in articulating claims for recognition: a) fiction is an important part of modernity, if not, in fact, one of its driving engines; b) fiction invites symbolic transfer processes; c) because fictional texts only gain meaning in the act of reception, they can function as extension of the recipient’s interiority in ways that open up new possibilities of public recognition. Fictional texts are therefore especially well suited to respond to the challenge created by democratic societies of how to gain attention, find recognition, and establish self-respect. However, in contrast to models of reading based on concepts of empathy (Nussbaum) or misrecognition (poststructuralism), it is argued that this “recognition-effect” is created by means of a transfer (Iser). Hence, it is not dependent on mimetic modes of representation, but can also result from such forms of expression as popular culture and experimental modernism. In conclusion, the question is raised whether and how claims for recognition articulated by fictional texts can still be related to the idea of justice as a commonly shared goal.

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Democracy and the Arts

Cited by 5 publications

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