Speaking Out: How to Resist with Words

Authors

  • Elizabeth Hamilton

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2218/plurality.10068

Keywords:

Speech acts, Anti-oppressive speech, Resisting, J.L Austin

Abstract

Resistance against oppression can be diversely defined. Johansson and Vinthagen (2019) have posited that it is composed of the acts of subordinated people that might undermine power. Henry (2019) describes these acts as contra the forces that homogenise and confine people, aiming at liberation. These definitions broadly describe the amorphous concept of resistance as ‘acts against’. However, what are these acts? Can something as little (or as big) as speaking out be a resistant act? I argue that anti-oppressive speech can enact resistance in accordance with J.L. Austin’s theory of speech acts. While J.L. Austin’s titular task is identifying ‘How to Do Things with Words’, I will describe how to resist with words.

References

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Jackson, L. (2021) 'Making sexual harassment history: the UK context - Gender Equalities at Work', Gender Equalities at Work, 24 June. Available at: https://www.genderequalitiesat50.ed.ac.uk/2021/06/24/making-sexual-harassment-history-the-uk-context/ (Accessed: 26 April 2024)2.

Johansson, A. and Vinthagen, S. (2019) Conceptualizing 'Everyday Resistance'. Routledge.

Lorde, A. (1984) Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches. Trumansburg.

McGowan, M. K. (2009) 'Oppressive Speech', Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 87(3), pp. 389–407.

Young, Iris Marion (1990). Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton University Press.

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Published

2024-10-24

Issue

Vol. 1 (2024): Waves of Perception

Section

Philosophy and Divinity

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Elizabeth Hamilton

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.