This book provides a rich and systematic engagement with Jürgen Habermas’ political theory from critical perspectives outside its Western locus. It constructively examines the theory’s implications for non-‘Western’ contexts ranging from Latin America and the Middle East to India and China, and for themes ranging from cosmopolitanism, democracy and human rights to colonialism, feminism, care, modernity, and religion. The chapters added to the second edition explore Habermas’ own recent response to the charge of ‘provincialism’.
The book will be of special interest to scholars and students of political theory, global justice, international affairs, philosophy, and critical theory, and also to those working in postcolonial studies, religious studies, sociology and cultural studies.
Foreword by Maeve Cooke. Editor's Preface to the Second Edition. Introduction. Tom Bailey Part I. Democratizing 1. Back to Kant? The Democratic Deficits in Habermas' Global Constitutionalism Lars Rensmann 2. Democratizing International Law: A Republican Reading of Habermas' Cosmopolitan Project James Bohman 3. Feminist Solidarity in India: Communitarian Challenges and Postnational Prospects Kanchana Mahadevan 4. Deliberation without Democracy?: Reflections on Habermas, Mini-publics and China William Smith Part II. Decolonizing 5. Defending Habermas against Eurocentrism: Latin America and Mignolo’s Decolonial Challenge Raymond Morrow 6. Care, Power and Deconstructive Postcolonialism: Reformulating the Habermasian Response Richard Ganis 7. From Communicative Modernity to Modernities in Tension John Rundell Part III. Desecularizing 8. What is Living and What is Dead in Habermas’ Secularization Hypothesis? Kevin W. Gray 9. Reason and Li Xing: A Chinese Solution to Habermas’ Problem of Moral Motivation Tong Shijun 10. Radicalizing the Postsecular Thesis, Provincializing Habermas Péter Losonczi Part IV Deprovincializing 11. Can Postmetaphysical Reason Escape its Provincial Roots? Simone Chambers 12. Decentering Eurocentrism Through Dialogue Jeffrey Flynn
Biography
Tom Bailey is Associate Professor of Philosophy at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. His research focuses on contemporary political philosophy, ethics and the history of modern philosophy. He has published various articles in these areas, and edited Contestatory Cosmopolitanism (2016/2017) and co-edited Rawls and Religion (2014).
'Habermas has been an unflagging defender of both the Enlightenment, as a pivot in European history, and enlightenment, as an ongoing process that transcends towards universality from within local contexts. He has therefore been accused of Eurocentrism and of using universalism to mask the West’s colonial and imperial ambitions. This second edition of this pioneering anthology challenges these misunderstandings of Habermas’ work, and the new contributions engage with his majestic Auch eine Geschichte der Philosophie. The book will be indispensable for exploring Habermas’ own challenge to think through and beyond the (de)provincializing of Western political thought.'
Eduardo Mendieta, Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University
'This illuminating collection of essays represents an overdue attempt to "deprovincialize" Habermas and his contributions to critical theory. We learn not only how and why Habermas is relevant to the "postnational constellation", but also why his ideas remain useful for understanding the conditions of deep global pluralism. And there is even some icing on the cake: this second, updated edition includes contributions on Habermas’ most recent philosophical writings. Highly recommended for both advanced students and those already versed in contemporary political and social theory.'
William E. Scheuerman, James H. Rudy Professor of Political Science, Indiana University
'This excellent collection marks a milestone in Habermas studies. It engages with Habermas’ political theory from global perspectives that extend from post-colonialism and global constitutionalism to democratic experiments in China and women’s movements in India. At once knowledgeable, charitable and critical of Habermas, it will be essential reading for students and scholars alike. The second edition has been updated with two superb new essays on Auch eine Geschichte der Philosophie.'
James Gordon Finlayson, Professor of Social and Political Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Social and Political Thought, University of Sussex
