Autonomy and Equality: Relational Perspectives

This book draws connections and explores important questions at the intersection of the debates about relational autonomy and relational equality. Although these two research areas share several common assumptions and concerns, their connections have not been systematically explored.

The essays in this volume address theoretical questions at the intersection of relational theories of autonomy and equality and also consider how these theoretical considerations play out in real-world contexts. Several chapters explore possible conceptual links between relational autonomy and equality by considering the role of values―such as agency, non-domination, and self-respect―to which both relational autonomy theorists and relational egalitarians are committed. Others reflect on how debates about autonomy and equality can clarify our thinking about oppression based on race and gender, and how such oppression affects interpersonal relationships.

Autonomy and Equality: Relational Approaches is the first book to specifically address the relationship between these two research areas. It will be of interest to scholars and graduate students working in social and political philosophy, moral philosophy, and feminist philosophy.

Chapter 8 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Natalie Stoljar is Professor of Philosophy at McGill University, jointly appointed in the Institute for Health and Social Policy. She is co-editor, with Catriona Mackenzie, of Relational Autonomy: Feminist Perspectives on Autonomy, Agency, and the Social Self (2000).

Kristin Voigt is an Associate Professor at McGill University, jointly appointed in the Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Department of Philosophy.