In this weeks reading I paid special attention to Chapter 15 Enacting
another vulnerability: On owing and owning which mainly focuses on the concepts
of vulnerability and the ownership of property. The authors speak on
vulnerability as an "abiding and vital" emotion that affects others
but binds our emotions to others as well. Vulnerability according to the
authors has the ability to hurt/ injure, however, this hurt is not always
distributed evenly in amongst the vast experiences and identities in society. Vulnerability
is essential to our lives as social creatures; however, vulnerability in a
sense dispossesses us as well. The issue of vulnerability is especially present
when applied to the concept of owing and owning. Butler states, "If it is
the individual becoming a property owner who is said to actualize some essence
of human individuality at that moment, then the system of property
distinguishes between those who own it and those who do not. When property is
linked to individualism, inequality is implied". Athanasiou also
makes an interesting point about dispossession and the concept of hospitality.
She states, “Becoming a host/ess requires giving away one’s own identity as
master; it requires being dispossessed of everything that defines one as self
owning and self owned master of the home”.
In egalitarian society we deem property as an essential right. However,
this view of property also dispossesses, because individualism is dispossessed
from the individual when they don’t own property. This reading reminds me of
last weeks reading on dispossession as a historical and repeated occurrence. A
big theme seen was that assumptions racist, patriarchal, and capitalistic have
historically been used to justify the oppression of those who are different. Vulnerability
is essential to understanding, how each and every individual is oppressed.
Whether it be race, gender, or in this case property, the haves and the have
nots are only different simply because one is seen as an individual the other
is not.
Hi Jeff. I think it is interesting that "not having" is linked to being less human. It is interesting to think about how we have been made to quantify our worth and how we can go about seeing ourselves are worthy without all the things that a capitalist society tells us that we should have.
ReplyDeleteYou also stated that vulnerability dispossesses us and I would add that dispossession makes us vulnerable. I feel that both things lead to each other.