Abstract
This paper discusses the relationship between authority-production and experience through a consideration of the emergence of certain figures as authorities on particular matters as a result of extraordinary experiences that they have undergone. It argues that analysis of such figures of experiential authority can help us to identify ‘objectivities’: foundational tenets upon which their authority is based and to which it ultimately refers. With reference to Harry Patch, a veteran of the First World War and Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack at a bus stop, I contend that the authority carried by these figures testifies to certain socially produced objectivities which elicit an affective response, an embodied demand that they are listened to.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 29-47 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of Political Power |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Apr 2013 |
Keywords
- authority
- experience
- affect
- biopolitics
- figure