Rupture and Response—Rorty, Cavell, and Rancière on the Role of the Poetic Powers of Democratic Citizens in Overcoming Injustices and Oppression

In this paper, I discuss the importance of practices disidentification and imagination for democratic progress change. To end, bring together certain aspects Stanley Cavell’s Richard Rorty’s reflections on democracy, aesthetics, morality with Jacques Rancière’s account appearance participation. With Rancière, it can be shown that any public–political order always involves possibility (and often reality) exclusion or oppression those who “have no part” in current through a particular perceptibility, action, therefore, requires rupturing acts political agency part self-proclaimed actors which disidentifications constructions difference against such existing orders become possible. Cavell Rorty, turn, these moments, to actually politically effective, require responsive disposition willingness engage occupy dominant positions orders, insofar as they must acknowledge expression others’ sense injustice. The upshot my discussion is comprehensive aesthetic dimension politics simultaneously address interruption action one hand responsiveness other, Rancière neo-pragmatists Rorty complement each other illuminate blind spots their respective approaches.