Simon Thompson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3734815 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Simon Thompson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Simon |
| FAMILY NAME | Thompson |
| SIGNATURE | THOMPSON S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the West of England |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2307-2520 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 228 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Secular Transition, Consolidation and Erosion
In this brief response to Tariq Modood’s and Thomas Sealy’s The New Governance of Religious Diversity , I consider whether it is possible to draw an analogy between the political science of democratisation and the authors’ remarks on how religious regimes may change in one direction or another. To be more specific, democratisation theory can be roughly divided into three parts: analyses of democratic transition, consolidation and erosion. I consi…
How shouldn’t states recognise religion: A reply to Jonathan Chaplin’s ‘How should states recognise religion? Strengthening multicultural secularism’
In his article for this journal, ‘How should states recognise religion? Strengthening multicultural secularism’, Jonathan Chaplin presents a series of important challenges to our account of multicultural secularism, according to which the state can offer recognition to a range of religions while remaining sufficiently independent of them all. In this response to Chaplin’s critique, we shall concentrate on what we regard as the most important char…
The Normative Structure of Multicultural Secularism
Our aim in this article is to describe the normative structure of what we call multicultural secularism, and to make a case for this particular conception of state–religion relations. On our account, multicultural secularism is secular since it maintains an appropriate degree of autonomy of the state from religion, and of religion from the state. The state does not interfere unjustifiably in religious matters, and religious communities do not hav…
Seeing Others: How to Define Worth in a Divided World
The regulation of religion in public spaces
A number of controversial aspects of the relationship between religion and the state are located in public space. Although burqa bans, the Swiss minaret ban, and duties to display crucifixes on public buildings are different in various ways, it is significant that they all take place in this particular type of location. However, when normative political theorists have addressed these issues, they have rarely paid sufficient attention to their spa…
The multidimensional recognition of religion
In this article, we present a case for the recognition of multiple religions, arguing that states have a non-absolute duty to recognise religions which it is likely they should discharge along different dimensions and to different degrees. More concretely, we focus on several Western European states (or regions thereof), arguing that they would be more legitimate if they were to recognise an extensive range of faiths and ethno-religious groups. I…
Othering, Alienation and Establishment
This article examines the relationship between religion and the state, focusing on cases of establishment in which one religion is formally recognized. Arguing that religious establishment is wrong if it causes some citizens to feel alienated, we reject the criticism that feelings of alienation are too subjective a foundation for a robust normative case about establishment. We base our argument on an account of collective identities, which may ha…
The centre for the study of ethnicity and citizenship: Multiculturalism, racialisation, religion and national identity twenty years on
In November 2019, a conference was held at the University of Bristol to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship. This special issue of Ethnicities brings together a set of articles by a number of the keynote speakers at that conference. By doing so, it celebrates the Centre’s achievements over these two decades, reveals how the field has changed over the last twenty years, gives a good indication of…
Funerary reuse of a Roman amphitheatre: Palaeodietary and osteological study of Early Middle Ages burials (8th and 9th centuries AD) discovered in the Arena of Verona (Northeastern Italy)
The economic and political disruption following the collapse of the Roman Empire is an important moment for the cultural and biological history of Western Europe. One of the trends associated this socioeconomic change is the reuse of Roman public monuments for different purposes including funerary ones. The cultural meaning of this practice, occasionally described throughout Europe, is however still unclear. Here, we present a study of a group of…
Alienation and Establishment
Is it ever permissible for the state to formally recognize one religion? This article focuses on just one aspect of this complex question. To be specific, a critical examination is conducted of what will be called the alienation argument against establishment, according to which this sort of connection between religion and the state is wrong to the extent that it makes some people feel alienated. Whilst this argument is often dismissed in contemp…
The expression of religious identities and the control of public space
To what extent may an historic nation impress its religious identity on the public space of its society? For example, does it have a right to ban the wearing of hijabs in schools, to insist on the display of crucifixes in school classrooms, or to ban the construction of minarets? My aim in this article is to critically examine the answers which liberal nationalism gives to these questions, focusing in particular on David Miller’s version of this …
Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: Combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599 912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies
BACKGROUND: Low-risk limits recommended for alcohol consumption vary substantially across different national guidelines. To define thresholds associated with lowest risk for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, we studied individual-participant data from 599 912 current drinkers without previous cardiovascular disease. METHODS: We did a combined analysis of individual-participant data from three large-scale data sources in 19 high-inco…
Revisiting Contextualism in Political Theory: Putting Principles into Context
In this article, we articulate and defend a contextual approach to political theory. According to what we shall call ‘iterative contextualism’, context has two important roles to play in determining what is required by justice. First, it is through the exploration and evaluation of multiple contexts that general principles are devised, revised and refined. Second, significant weight should be given to the norms to be found in specific contexts be…
Honneth, Axel (1948–)
French Theories of Recognition
On claims of culture and duties of recognition in democratic states
One important way in which individuals and groups express their ideas and principles, and present their proposals and demands, is in the language of identity or difference. They argue that what they value and what they deserve are related to their distinctive identities. Working within the framework of a political theory of recognition, I argue in this article that particular cultural communities may have reasonable expectations that their distin…
Just democracy: The Rawls-Machiavelli programme, by Philippe Van Parijs
Theory and Practice in the Politics of Recognition and Misrecognition
Using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions: New Medical Research Council guidance
Natural experimental studies are often recommended as a way of understanding the health impact of policies and other large scale interventions. Although they have certain advantages over planned experiments, and may be the only option when it is impossible to manipulate exposure to the intervention, natural experimental studies are more susceptible to bias. This paper introduces new guidance from the Medical Research Council to help researchers a…
Freedom of expression and hatred of religion
The UK’s Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 makes it an offence to deliberately stir up hatred against people on religious grounds. For its supporters, the Act offers necessary protection to a range of groups that are vulnerable to the harmful effects of incitement of hatred against them. For its critics, by contrast, the offence it creates is an illegitimate restriction on freedom of expression. In the first half of this article, I shall exami…
Misrecognition and ethno-religious diversity
In the 20 years since the publication of Charles Taylor’s essay on ‘The Politics of Recognition’ (Taylor, 1992) and Axel Honneth’s book Kampf um Anerkennung (see Honneth, 1995), there has been an incremental proliferation in literature tackling the concept of recognition. While sometimes conflated with related issues, especially concerning the politics of identity and difference, the politics of recognition has provided a distinctive and valuable…
Extreme speech and democracy, Ivan Hare and James Weinstein
Participatory Parity and Self-Realisation
Research Article| January 01 2009 Participatory Parity and Self-Realisation Simon Thompson Simon Thompson Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google The Good Society (2009) 18 (1): 57–62. https://doi.org/10.2307/20711321 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Simon Thompson; Participatory Parity and Self-Realisation. The Good Society 1 January 2009; 18 (1): 57–62. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2071…
On the circularity of democratic justice
In this article, I argue that justice and democracy stand in a circular relationship: just outcomes emerge from democratic deliberations, but only if such deliberations meet the standards of justice. I develop my argument by engaging in a critical dialogue with Nancy Fraser. Contending that she fails to deal with the danger that unfair deliberative procedures and inadequate norms of justice may reinforce one another, I show what a satisfactory ac…
Parity of Participation and the Politics of Status
Over the past decade, Nancy Fraser has developed a sophisticated theory of social justice. At its heart lies the principle of parity of participation, according to which all adult members of society must be in a position to interact with one another as peers. This article examines some obstacles to the implementation of that principle. Concentrating on the contemporary status order, it asks two specific questions. Is it possible to produce a prec…
Using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions: New Medical Research Council guidance
Natural experimental studies are often recommended as a way of understanding the health impact of policies and other large scale interventions. Although they have certain advantages over planned experiments, and may be the only option when it is impossible to manipulate exposure to the intervention, natural experimental studies are more susceptible to bias. This paper introduces new guidance from the Medical Research Council to help researchers a…
Toward a Democracy of the Emotions
Universalism, selectivism and particularism: Towards a postmodern social policy
The impact of postmodernism on theories of social policy has called into question the established basis of welfare provision. Existing compromises between universalism and particularism, equality and diversity, have been unsettled. This paper re-examines the question of the appropriate balance between these values in light of the issues postmodernism raises. Although postmodernists provide good reasons to reject crude forms of universalism, it re…
Othering, Alienation and Establishment
This article examines the relationship between religion and the state, focusing on cases of establishment in which one religion is formally recognized. Arguing that religious establishment is wrong if it causes some citizens to feel alienated, we reject the criticism that feelings of alienation are too subjective a foundation for a robust normative case about establishment. We base our argument on an account of collective identities, which may ha…
The emotional dynamics of deliberative democracy
English Proponents of deliberative democracy claim that it can provide a fair, efficient and creative method of collective decision making. In practice, however, all groups, including those consulted within public spaces for deliberation such as consultative forums, are,in part, characterised by emotional dynamics that threaten to undermine such deliberation. These dynamics can distort the process of deliberation, lead to sub-optimal outcomes and…
Revisiting Contextualism in Political Theory: Putting Principles into Context
In this article, we articulate and defend a contextual approach to political theory. According to what we shall call ‘iterative contextualism’, context has two important roles to play in determining what is required by justice. First, it is through the exploration and evaluation of multiple contexts that general principles are devised, revised and refined. Second, significant weight should be given to the norms to be found in specific contexts be…
The multidimensional recognition of religion
In this article, we present a case for the recognition of multiple religions, arguing that states have a non-absolute duty to recognise religions which it is likely they should discharge along different dimensions and to different degrees. More concretely, we focus on several Western European states (or regions thereof), arguing that they would be more legitimate if they were to recognise an extensive range of faiths and ethno-religious groups. I…
Freedom of expression and hatred of religion
The UK’s Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 makes it an offence to deliberately stir up hatred against people on religious grounds. For its supporters, the Act offers necessary protection to a range of groups that are vulnerable to the harmful effects of incitement of hatred against them. For its critics, by contrast, the offence it creates is an illegitimate restriction on freedom of expression. In the first half of this article, I shall exami…
Theory and Practice in the Politics of Recognition and Misrecognition
The Politics of Culture in Northern Ireland
Parity of Esteem and the Politics of Recognition
The expression of religious identities and the control of public space
To what extent may an historic nation impress its religious identity on the public space of its society? For example, does it have a right to ban the wearing of hijabs in schools, to insist on the display of crucifixes in school classrooms, or to ban the construction of minarets? My aim in this article is to critically examine the answers which liberal nationalism gives to these questions, focusing in particular on David Miller’s version of this …
On the circularity of democratic justice
In this article, I argue that justice and democracy stand in a circular relationship: just outcomes emerge from democratic deliberations, but only if such deliberations meet the standards of justice. I develop my argument by engaging in a critical dialogue with Nancy Fraser. Contending that she fails to deal with the danger that unfair deliberative procedures and inadequate norms of justice may reinforce one another, I show what a satisfactory ac…
Is redistribution a form of recognition? comments on the Fraser–Honneth debate
In their jointly authored book, Redistribution or Recognition?, Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth present their very different reactions to this development. While Fraser argues that redistribution and recognition are two mutually irreducible elements of an account of social justice, Honneth contends that a suitably differentiated account of recognition can provide the basis of a theory of justice on its own. This article critically assesses the rela…
Misrecognition and ethno-religious diversity
In the 20 years since the publication of Charles Taylor’s essay on ‘The Politics of Recognition’ (Taylor, 1992) and Axel Honneth’s book Kampf um Anerkennung (see Honneth, 1995), there has been an incremental proliferation in literature tackling the concept of recognition. While sometimes conflated with related issues, especially concerning the politics of identity and difference, the politics of recognition has provided a distinctive and valuable…
Parity of Participation and the Politics of Status
Over the past decade, Nancy Fraser has developed a sophisticated theory of social justice. At its heart lies the principle of parity of participation, according to which all adult members of society must be in a position to interact with one another as peers. This article examines some obstacles to the implementation of that principle. Concentrating on the contemporary status order, it asks two specific questions. Is it possible to produce a prec…
Multiculturalism without Multiple Cultures
Funerary reuse of a Roman amphitheatre: Palaeodietary and osteological study of Early Middle Ages burials (8th and 9th centuries AD) discovered in the Arena of Verona (Northeastern Italy)
The economic and political disruption following the collapse of the Roman Empire is an important moment for the cultural and biological history of Western Europe. One of the trends associated this socioeconomic change is the reuse of Roman public monuments for different purposes including funerary ones. The cultural meaning of this practice, occasionally described throughout Europe, is however still unclear. Here, we present a study of a group of…
The centre for the study of ethnicity and citizenship: Multiculturalism, racialisation, religion and national identity twenty years on
In November 2019, a conference was held at the University of Bristol to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship. This special issue of Ethnicities brings together a set of articles by a number of the keynote speakers at that conference. By doing so, it celebrates the Centre’s achievements over these two decades, reveals how the field has changed over the last twenty years, gives a good indication of…
On claims of culture and duties of recognition in democratic states
One important way in which individuals and groups express their ideas and principles, and present their proposals and demands, is in the language of identity or difference. They argue that what they value and what they deserve are related to their distinctive identities. Working within the framework of a political theory of recognition, I argue in this article that particular cultural communities may have reasonable expectations that their distin…
WFD Survey of Deaf People in the Developing World
(1993). WFD Survey of Deaf People in the Developing World. Disability, Handicap & Society: Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 443-445
Aspects of Cohesion in Monologue
The demands placed on native and non-native speakers in understanding and creating coherent monologue are well-recognized. In order to achieve a coherent interpretation of monologue, the listener must be able to interpret the semantic relations lying beneath the surface text. The speaker of a monologue is therefore primarily responsible for making these meaning networks transparent to the listener. This paper analyses twenty different monologues …
Universalism, selectivism and particularism: Towards a postmodern social policy
The impact of postmodernism on theories of social policy has called into question the established basis of welfare provision. Existing compromises between universalism and particularism, equality and diversity, have been unsettled. This paper re-examines the question of the appropriate balance between these values in light of the issues postmodernism raises. Although postmodernists provide good reasons to reject crude forms of universalism, it re…
The emotional dynamics of deliberative democracy
English Proponents of deliberative democracy claim that it can provide a fair, efficient and creative method of collective decision making. In practice, however, all groups, including those consulted within public spaces for deliberation such as consultative forums, are,in part, characterised by emotional dynamics that threaten to undermine such deliberation. These dynamics can distort the process of deliberation, lead to sub-optimal outcomes and…
Parity of Esteem and the Politics of Recognition
Toward a Democracy of the Emotions
Service Variation in Baseline Variables and Prediction of Risk in a Randomised Controlled Trial of Psychological Treatment in Repeated Parasuicide: The Popmact Study
The treatment protocol and baseline characteristics of 480 subjects with a history of repeated parasuicide recruited in five centres to a randomised therapeutic trial of manual assisted cognitive-behaviour therapy (MACT) and treatment as usual (TAU) are described. Most patients had significant anxiety and depressive disturbance with 42% having a personality disorder. Variation in service policies influenced recruitment, with earlier assessment ce…
The Politics of Culture in Northern Ireland
Is redistribution a form of recognition? comments on the Fraser–Honneth debate
In their jointly authored book, Redistribution or Recognition?, Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth present their very different reactions to this development. While Fraser argues that redistribution and recognition are two mutually irreducible elements of an account of social justice, Honneth contends that a suitably differentiated account of recognition can provide the basis of a theory of justice on its own. This article critically assesses the rela…
Emotion, Politics and Society
This timely book critically addresses the intersection between power, politics and emotions. Challenging traditional dichotomies which counterpose rationalist to non-rationalist epistemologies, it off
Anger and the Struggle for Justice
It has been argued that the emotion of anger plays a central role in politics. As Peter Lyman says, ‘one can define anger as the essential political emotion’ (1981, p. 61). The authors who contributed to the 2004 special edition of the European Journal of Social Theory on ‘Anger in political life’ suggest reasons why anger is of such importance. In Mary Holmes’ words, anger ‘is the essential political emotion because it is a response to perceived…
Political Theory of Recognition: A Critical Introduction
Multiculturalism without Multiple Cultures
Multiculturalism without Culture
Participatory Parity and Self-Realisation
Research Article| January 01 2009 Participatory Parity and Self-Realisation Simon Thompson Simon Thompson Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google The Good Society (2009) 18 (1): 57–62. https://doi.org/10.2307/20711321 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Simon Thompson; Participatory Parity and Self-Realisation. The Good Society 1 January 2009; 18 (1): 57–62. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2071…
On the circularity of democratic justice
In this article, I argue that justice and democracy stand in a circular relationship: just outcomes emerge from democratic deliberations, but only if such deliberations meet the standards of justice. I develop my argument by engaging in a critical dialogue with Nancy Fraser. Contending that she fails to deal with the danger that unfair deliberative procedures and inadequate norms of justice may reinforce one another, I show what a satisfactory ac…
Parity of Participation and the Politics of Status
Over the past decade, Nancy Fraser has developed a sophisticated theory of social justice. At its heart lies the principle of parity of participation, according to which all adult members of society must be in a position to interact with one another as peers. This article examines some obstacles to the implementation of that principle. Concentrating on the contemporary status order, it asks two specific questions. Is it possible to produce a prec…
Against recognition
Extreme speech and democracy, Ivan Hare and James Weinstein
Theory and Practice in the Politics of Recognition and Misrecognition
Using natural experiments to evaluate population health interventions: New Medical Research Council guidance
Natural experimental studies are often recommended as a way of understanding the health impact of policies and other large scale interventions. Although they have certain advantages over planned experiments, and may be the only option when it is impossible to manipulate exposure to the intervention, natural experimental studies are more susceptible to bias. This paper introduces new guidance from the Medical Research Council to help researchers a…
Freedom of expression and hatred of religion
The UK’s Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 makes it an offence to deliberately stir up hatred against people on religious grounds. For its supporters, the Act offers necessary protection to a range of groups that are vulnerable to the harmful effects of incitement of hatred against them. For its critics, by contrast, the offence it creates is an illegitimate restriction on freedom of expression. In the first half of this article, I shall exami…
Misrecognition and ethno-religious diversity
In the 20 years since the publication of Charles Taylor’s essay on ‘The Politics of Recognition’ (Taylor, 1992) and Axel Honneth’s book Kampf um Anerkennung (see Honneth, 1995), there has been an incremental proliferation in literature tackling the concept of recognition. While sometimes conflated with related issues, especially concerning the politics of identity and difference, the politics of recognition has provided a distinctive and valuable…
French Theories of Recognition
On claims of culture and duties of recognition in democratic states
One important way in which individuals and groups express their ideas and principles, and present their proposals and demands, is in the language of identity or difference. They argue that what they value and what they deserve are related to their distinctive identities. Working within the framework of a political theory of recognition, I argue in this article that particular cultural communities may have reasonable expectations that their distin…
Sociology (30 works) · Political science (29 works) · Law (27 works) · Politics (27 works) · Philosophy (22 works) · Epistemology (21 works) · Law (21 works) · Philosophy (17 works) · Political Philosophy and Ethics (17 works) · Psychology (13 works)