Recognition theory, political agency and intersubjective institutions: The case of contesting austerity

Recognition theory, political agency and intersubjective institutions: The case of contesting austerity

Austerity remains a critical feature of contemporary urban politics and governance. Yet there is scope in studies of austerity and related forms of resistance, and urban governance more generally, for greater conceptualisation of why and how human political agency develops, and their interwoven relationship with broader societal institutions. Axel Honneth’s (1995, 2012, 2014, 2016) recognition theory is utilised for the examination of how collective political agency develops, and within a context of the ‘recognition institutions’ that govern human actors. Recognition institutions are social constructs through which human actors receive forms of recognition that are critical for their self-confidence, self-respect and self-esteem. They produce and stabilise social relations and forms social control and coordination, which are achieved through shared norms of mutual respect and social value. They can also produce the misrecognition of actors, characterised by marginalisation and subordination, leading to resistance and struggle. Using this approach, the paper examines the contestation of local government budget reductions and delays in the arts sector in the English city of Bristol. In conclusion, the paper finds that the political agency of protestors directly develops in response to local government austerity measures that are configured through particular recognition institutions. The findings further reveal how marginalised urban actors mobilise to produce collective agency, generating insights into why and how political agency develops in urban resistance through forms of misrecognition.

Date

2026

Language

English

Output

Journal article in Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

Author

Crispian Fuller and Günter Gassner

Keywords

Activism

Politics

Spatial practices

Spatial imaginaries

Commodification