Ambivalent Recognition is an impressive first book by Kristina Lepold, one of the most exciting voices of a new generation of critical theorists. She argues, convincingly, that we should see recognitionusually thought of as something positiveas ambivalent, for it can make us complicit in problematic social arrangements. -- Sally Haslanger, author of Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique There is nothing more productive for a theory than to examine it so incisively that all its internal problems and difficulties come to the surface. Kristina Lepold confronts recognition with its critics, who emphasize that a positive attribution of recognition to a person or group comes at the price of inclusion in an existing order of domination. A masterful study of the negative consequence of perpetuating social oppression. -- Axel Honneth, coauthor of Redistribution or Recognition? A PoliticalPhilosophical Exchange According to the French tradition, recognition is always subjecting, while authors such as Charles Taylor and Axel Honneth have emphasized its ethical potential. Kristina Lepolds fascinating book rejects this seemingly binary choice. The book is a must-read for everyone interested in contemporary critical theory. -- Rahel Jaeggi, author of Critique of Forms of Life and Alienation Feminists and multicultural theorists often argue that oppressed people have to misrepresent their interestsand their selvesin order to be politically legible. Lepolds important book sheds new light on what is at stake in claims that the marginalized are misrecognized. -- Serene Khader, author of Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop Kristina Lepolds Ambivalent Recognition makes an original and important contribution to our understanding of how our recognition of ourselves and others is often caught up in, and contributes to, a web of oppressive practices. -- Charlotte Witt, author of Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms
