Can I choose to be who I am not? on (African) subjectivity

Flikschuh, Katrin ORCID: 0000-0002-4585-6844 (2019) Can I choose to be who I am not? on (African) subjectivity. Angelaki, 24 (2). pp. 78-91. ISSN 0969-725X

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Abstract

This article engages Abraham Olivier’s recent distinction between ‘being’ and ‘choosing to be’ within his phenomenological approach to subjectivity in general and to African, communal subjectivity in particular. I recapitulate and problematize aspects of Olivier’s reverse phenomenological analysis, briefly contrasting it with more orthodox African approaches to the ontology of the self. I then hone in on the distinction between being who I am and choosing to be who I am not. I argue that I can indeed choose to be who I am not, subject to the proviso that I cannot choose to be who I am. I close with some reflections on the moral significance of conscientiously choosing to be who I am not.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/cang20
Additional Information:	© 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Divisions:	Government
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date Deposited:	03 Oct 2018 13:40
Last Modified:	01 Nov 2024 04:15
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/90301

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