Seyla Benhabib ( born September 9, 1950) is a
Turkish-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
.
Seyla Benhabib is a senior research scholar and adjunct professor of law at
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Columbia University Department of Philosophy and a senior fellow at the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought. She was a scholar in residence at the Law School from 2018 to 2019 and was also the James S. Carpentier Visiting Professor of Law in spring 2019. She was the Eugene Mayer Professor of
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and Philosophy at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
from 2001 to 2020. She was director of the program in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from 2002 to 2008. Benhabib is well known for her work in
political philosophy
Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...
, which draws on
critical theory
A critical theory is any approach to social philosophy that focuses on society and culture to reveal, critique and challenge power structures. With roots in sociology and literary criticism, it argues that social problems stem more from soci ...
and
feminist political theory
Feminist political theory is an area of philosophy that focuses on understanding and critiquing the way political philosophy is usually construed and on articulating how political theory might be reconstructed in a way that advances feminist concer ...
. She has written extensively on the philosophers
Hannah Arendt and
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas (, ; ; born 18 June 1929) is a German social theorist in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. His work addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere.
Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas's wor ...
, as well as on the topic of
human migration
Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location (geographic region). The movement often occurs over long distances and from one country to another (ex ...
. She is the author of numerous books, and has received several prestigious awards and lectureships in recognition of her work.
Life
Born in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, Benhabib was educated at English-language schools in that city. She received her high school diploma in 1970 from
Robert College
The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational Secondary ...
, then called the American College for Girls in Istanbul,
before leaving for the United States. She received a B.A. from
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
in 1972 and a Ph.D. from Yale in 1977.
She traces her family history back to the
1492 expulsion of Jews from Spain on the "second reconquista."
Benhabib taught in the departments of
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
,
SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system' ...
, the
New School for Social Research
The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...
, and the Department of Government at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, before taking her current position at Yale. She has also served on editorial advisory boards for a number of journals, including ''
Political Theory
Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...
'', ''
Human Rights Review
''Human Rights Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1999. It publishes research articles about human rights from various disciplinary perspectives using diverse methodologies. In addition, the journal welcomes piece ...
'', ''
Journal of International Political Theory
The ''Journal of International Political Theory'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal published by SAGE Publications. It was published by Edinburgh University Press between 2005 and 2013. The founding editor, and editor-in-chief until ...
'', and ''
Ethics & International Affairs
''Ethics & International Affairs'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering ethical aspects of international relations. It was established in 1987 and is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Carnegie Council for Et ...
''. From 1986 to 1994 she was co-editor of ''
Praxis International''. In 1992, she co-founded with
Andrew Arato
Andrew Arato ( hu, Arató András ; born 22 August 1944) is a professor of Political and Social Theory in the Department of Sociology at The New School, best known for his influential book ''Civil Society and Political Theory'', coauthored with ...
the journal ''
Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory'' and served as its co-editor-in-chief until 1997.
She served as President of the Eastern Division of the
American Philosophical Association
The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly ...
in 2006–2007.
Benhabib has received numerous honors and awards for her work. She was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
in 1995.
She held the
Spinoza Chair of Philosophy
Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...
at the
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
in 2000 and was a
Tanner Lecturer at
UC, Berkeley in 2004. In the 2008–2009 academic year, she was a Fellow at the
Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin). In 2012 she was awarded the
Dr. Leopold-Lucas Prize by the
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of theology, intellectual history, historical research and philosophy, as well as the commitment to international understanding and tolerance.
[2012 Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize: ] In 2014, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
and the
Meister Eckhart Prize for her work on the subject of
identity
Identity may refer to:
* Identity document
* Identity (philosophy)
* Identity (social science)
* Identity (mathematics)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film
* ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
.
She is married to author and journalist
Jim Sleeper
Jim Sleeper is an American author and journalist. He was a lecturer in political science at Yale University from 1999 to 2020, teaching undergraduate seminars on American national identity and on journalism, liberalism, and democracy.
He write ...
.
Thought
Democratic theorist
Democratic theorists advocate discussion within cultures and support social change. Benhabib is a
liberal democratic
Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into di ...
theorist who does not believe in the purity of
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
s; she thinks of them as formed through dialogues with other cultures. Human cultures are, according to Benhabib, the constant change of imaginary boundaries. They influence each other and sometimes radicalize or conform as a reaction on other cultures. Benhabib argues that in democratic theory it is assumed that every single person should be able to determine their own life. She argues that
pluralism, the existence of fundamentally different cultures, is compatible with
cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizens ...
, if three conditions are fulfilled. These conditions are:
# Egalitarian reciprocity: Members of
minorities must have equal civil, political, economic and cultural rights as the majority.
# Voluntary self-ascription: When a person is born, it should not be expected that he or she will automatically be a member of a particular
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
or
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
. The state should not let groups define the lives of individuals. Members of a society have the right to express themselves and it is desirable that adult individuals be asked whether they choose to continue membership in their
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
.
# Freedom of exit and association: Every individual must be able to exit their group. When group members marry someone from another group, they have the right to be a member. Accommodations must be found for inter-group marriages and the resulting children.
It is contested whether cultural diversity and democratic equality can co-exist. Many
cultures
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
are not compatible with one or more of the three given conditions. For example, the first condition is violated within several cultures, such as the
Kurd ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
s in Turkey or the Roma in Eastern Europe. Every
nation state
A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group.
A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...
has groups that are not accepted by the majority. Some governments do nothing to stop discrimination against minorities. The second and third condition are also problematic. Thus, at present there seems to be no examples of states practicing a perfect version of Benhabib's system of mixing pluralism with
cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizens ...
. This does, of course, not rule out that it is possible, nor that it is a societal goal worth striving for.
Porous borders
Benhabib prefers a world with porous
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
s. She argues that political boundaries define some as members, but lock others out. She has written: "I think it is possible to have an empire without borders; I don't think it is possible to have a democracy without borders."
More and more people live in countries which are not their own, as state sovereignty is not as strong as in the past. Benhabib argues that somebody who is stateless is seen as an outcast and is in a way rightless. Current policy still sees national borders as a means to keep out strangers.
Benhabib's cosmopolitan view is inspired by the German philosopher
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
. Kant's ''Perpetual peace'' concerns three articles which together are key to creating
perpetual peace
''Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch'' (german: Zum ewigen Frieden. Ein philosophischer Entwurf) is a 1795 book authored by German philosopher Immanuel Kant. In the book, Kant advances ideas that have subsequently been associated with demo ...
. In the third article Kant says that the rights of world citizens shall be limited to the right of universal
hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
. In Kant's view, every single person has the right to go wherever they like without fear of hostility from their hosts.
Benhabib takes this right as a starting point which resulted in her thoughts about
migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
and refugee problems. Benhabib goes further than Kant, arguing that the human right of hospitality should not apply to a single visit, but in some cases to long-term stays. For example, a country shouldn't send a refugee back when it is not sure whether they are safe in the country of origin. Nations should have obligations to
exiles and
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. , and these
obligations
An obligation is a course of action that someone is required to take, whether legal or moral. Obligations are constraints; they limit freedom. People who are under obligations may choose to freely act under obligations. Obligation exists when ther ...
are different from the obligations to
immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
.
Selected bibliography
Books
* ''Exile, Statelessness, and Migration: Playing Chess with History from Hannah Arendt to Isaiah Berlin'' (Princeton University Press, 2018)
* ''Dignity in Adversity: Human Rights in Troubled Times'' (Polity, 2011)
* ''Politics in Dark Times: Encounters with Hannah Arendt'' (editor; Cambridge University Press, 2010)
* ''Another Cosmopolitanism'' (Oxford University Press, 2006)
* ''The Rights of Others'' (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
* ''The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt'' (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003)
* ''The Claims of Culture'' (Princeton University Press, 2002)
* ''Democracy and Difference'' (Princeton University Press, 1996)
* ''Situating the Self: Gender, Community and Postmodernism in Contemporary Ethics'' (Routledge, 1992)
* ''Feminist Contentions: A Philosophical Exchange'' (with
Judith Butler
Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In 1993, Butler ...
,
Nancy Fraser
Nancy Fraser (; born May 20, 1947) is an American philosopher, critical theorist, feminist, and the Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science and professor of philosophy at The New School in New York City.Jadžić, Milo ...
, and Drucilla Cornell; Routledge 1994)
* ''Critique, Norm and Utopia. A Study of the Foundations of Critical Theory'' (Columbia University Press, 1986)
Articles
* "Modernity and the Aporias of Critical Theory".
''TELOS'' 49 (Fall 1981). New York
Telos Press
Translator
Herbert Marcuse, ''Hegel's Ontology and the Theory of Historicity'' (MIT Press 1987).
Graduate Student Theses Supervised
Boston University: Doctoral Dissertation Committee Member (1981-1985)
Arash Abizadeh
Arash Abizadeh ( fa, آرش ابی زاده ) is an Iranian-Canadian philosopher and Professor at the Department of Political Science and Associate Member of the Department of Philosophy at McGill University. He is known for his expertise on dem ...
, Kenneth Baynes, James Bohman, Johanna Meehan, Raphael Sassover, Greg Horowitz, Maurizio Passerin d’Entreves,
Adi Ophir
Adi Ophir ( he, עדי אופיר; born September 22, 1951) is an Israeli philosopher.
Early life
Adi Ophir was born on September 22, 1951. He received his BA and MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his PhD from Boston University.
...
Harvard University: Associate Professor without Tenure (1987-1989)
Mark Lilla
Mark Lilla (born 1956) is an American political scientist, historian of ideas, journalist, and professor of humanities at Columbia University in New York City. A self-described liberal, he frequently, though not always, presents views from that ...
New School for Social Research: Graduate Faculty: (1991-1993)
Eduardo Mendieta,
Espen Hammer
Harvard University: Full Professor (1993-2001) Dissertation Director
Bernard Harcourt
Bernard E. Harcourt (born 1963) is an American critical theorist with a specialization in the area of punishment, surveillance, legal and political theory, and political economy. He also does pro-bono legal work on human rights issues.
He is a pr ...
,
Patchen Markell, Sankhar Muthu,
Arash Abizadeh
Arash Abizadeh ( fa, آرش ابی زاده ) is an Iranian-Canadian philosopher and Professor at the Department of Political Science and Associate Member of the Department of Philosophy at McGill University. He is known for his expertise on dem ...
,
Danielle Allen
Danielle Susan Allen (born November 3, 1971) is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is also the Director of the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics. Prior to joining the faculty at Harvard in 2015, Allen ...
, Edwina Barvosa, Michaela Ferguson, David Siu
Yale University: Full Professor (2001-2020). Dissertation Director
Raluca Munteanu, Daniel Ernst, David Leslie, Shatema Threadcraft, Sonali Chakravarti, Turkuler Isiksel, Brandon Terry, Peter Verovsek, David Lebow, Matthew Longo, Erin Pineda, Adom Getachew, Stefan Eich, Blake Emerson (recused; committee member), Umur Basdas, Anna Jurkevics, Paul Linden-Retek, Devin Goure, Carmen Dege, Matthew Shafer.
See also
*
Liberal theory
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
*
Iris Marion Young
*
Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizens ...
*
Deliberative democracy
References
External links
Yale University WebsiteColumbia Law School WebsiteColumbia Department of Philosophy WebsiteColumbia Contemporary Critical Thought WebsiteMairead Enright interviews Selya Benhabib*
ttp://www.resetdoc.org/story/00000021116 Video: Migrations and Human Rights - Seyla Benhabib interviewed by Reset-Dialogues on Civilizationsbr>
Seyla Benhabib Papers- Pembroke Center Archives, Brown University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benhabib, Seyla
1950 births
20th-century American biographers
20th-century American philosophers
20th-century American women writers
20th-century essayists
20th-century American historians
20th-century translators
21st-century American biographers
21st-century American philosophers
21st-century American women writers
21st-century essayists
21st-century American historians
21st-century translators
American ethicists
American feminist writers
American political philosophers
American translators
American women essayists
American women philosophers
Boston University faculty
Brandeis University alumni
Continental philosophers
Critical theorists
Cultural critics
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Feminist philosophers
Feminist studies scholars
Harvard University faculty
Historians of philosophy
Jewish feminists
Jewish philosophers
Living people
Moral philosophers
The New School faculty
Writers from Istanbul
Philosophers from Massachusetts
Philosophers from New York (state)
Philosophers of culture
Philosophers of education
Philosophers of ethics and morality
Philosophers of history
Philosophers of social science
Philosophy academics
Political philosophers
Presidents of the American Philosophical Association
Robert College alumni
American Sephardic Jews
Social commentators
Social critics
Social philosophers
Stony Brook University faculty
Theorists on Western civilization
Turkish feminists
Turkish non-fiction writers
Turkish people of Jewish descent
Turkish philosophers
Turkish translators
Turkish women writers
American women biographers
Writers about activism and social change
Writers about globalization
Yale University alumni
Yale University faculty