We often hear that literature’s ability to elicit empathy validates its ethical-political value in society and in education. In this context, the moral philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum, renowned for her advocacy of narrative empathy’s crucial role in civic and higher education, comes to mind immediately. Less often do we hear that literature’s ethical-political potential resides in its ability to block empathy and create “the other”. Looking at novels by, for example Joseph Conrad and Virginia Woolf, this presentation takes us beyond empathy, suggesting that literature has the potential to address the challenges of our time through its capacity to involve us in the dynamics of othering.
Zoom-link: https://hiof.zoom.us/j/66510856858?pwd=YoB12wV8AE7jsgy1Ao38hHYqdNFavd.1
Contact person: Annika Mörte Alling (annika.m.alling@hiof.no)