The We in Times of Physical Distancing. From face-to-face interactions to enduring we-identities

Project Information

Enduring We

Grant agreement ID: 101025633

DOI

10.3030/101025633

Project closed

EC signature date 19 April 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 184 707,84

EU contribution

€ 184 707,84

Coordinated by

ECOLE NORMALE SUPERIEURE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Enduring We (The We in Times of Physical Distancing. From face-to-face interactions to enduring we-identities)

Reporting period: 2021-10-01 to 2023-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In the last few years, the question of how best to conceive the conditions of emergence of a first-person plural “we-perspective” has been much debated. However, the philosophical focus in this interdisciplinary research area has so far mainly been on the relations between the ‘I’ and the ‘you’ considered as a key to a proper understanding of the foundations of a feeling of togetherness. As important as this focus might be, one obvious limitation is that it typically applies to transient forms of “we” that are bound to the ‘here’ and ‘now’ of face-to-face interactions. But there exist other forms of “we” that are not tied to the here and now of a physical interaction in the same way and rather imply both temporal and spatial distancing. The central objective of this project is to move beyond this impasse. Specifically, my goal was to develop a novel theoretical framework to account for the complexity of the social relation involved in polyadic, constantly shifting and, at the same time, also enduring configurations of the “we”, which go beyond the ‘here’ and ‘now’, and cross linguistic and geographic boundaries. Proceeding from the hypothesis that in order to meet this goal one need to shift the theoretical focus from dyadic face-to-face (immediate) relations of reciprocity between I and You, to ternary relations of mediated reciprocity, involving the figure and the functions of a “third party”, the project adopted an interdisciplinary methodological approach bringing together two complementary, yet unrelated, fields of research: phenomenological studies on the “we”, on the one hand, and current philosophical conceptualizations of the “third” in social theory, on the other.
By fleshing out a new theoretical framework, centered on the Third, which goes beyond the scope of the dyadic face-to-face model, this project bears significant consequences for contemporary philosophical discussions on the structure and foundations of a “we-perspective”. Its timeliness echoes a need for new theoretical paradigms to address political issues related to the constitution of an enlarged a "sense of togetherness", despite separatist drifts.

The research was essentially carried out along the following three overall objectives:

(a) By disambiguating important conceptual distinctions between dyadic and triadic forms of interpersonal relations, through a confrontation of early German and contemporary French phenomenological perspectives on inter-subjectivity, the project aimed at challenging and complementing current phenomenological accounts of the “we”, based on the dyadic I-you relation.
(b) A central outcome of the project was to design a new theoretical framework to account for the complexity of the social relation involved in polyadic, constantly shifting, and enduring configurations of the “we”, which extend beyond our immediate sphere of belonging.
(c) The project also aimed at exploring the potential practical applications of this new paradigm in the political field for addressing the question of how we are to cultivate a sense of shared identity despite separatist drifts, national antagonisms and the awakening of ethno-nationalism.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A first group of publications critically assess the strengths and the limits of the dyadic I-you model, which is typically applied to account for the emergence of a “we-perspective”, and at the same time, fleshes out a new understanding of the dyadic encounter between ego and alter ego, It suggests that the constitution of a “we” depends on understanding this encounter between I and you called ‘empathy’, not as the reproduction of sameness, but as a transformative dynamic, propelled by a troubling otherness (foreignness), that dislocates us in space and time and yields that enduring and livable “we” beyond the boundaries of cultural and religious, national communities. A second group of publications analyze and critically assesses the rich, yet still largely ignored, conceptual resources that Jean-Paul Sartre offer us to think the genesis of a we-perspective, (along with a “we-way” of thinking and acting), and the role that the third play in the transition from a first-person singular to a first-person plural perspective. A third group of publications presents some of the most innovative results of my research on the ethical foundations of a “we”, which extends beyond our immediate sphere of belonging. I mainly worked on the ethical philosophy of E. Levinas. Among the philosophical sources I considered in my study, I became interested in the American philosopher J. Butler, and I focused in particular on her ethics of vulnerability and her concept of bodily interdependence. A fourth group of publications presents some of the most innovative results of my research on the political implications that we can draw from this model on the political level. During this phase, I worked on one of the most innovative and challenging contemporary thinkers that attempted to rethink the “we” and “our being-with”, the French philosopher, Jean-Luc Nancy. I analyzed in particular his reflections on Being Singular Plural, as well as his latest reflections on the experience and the structures of inter-group political conflicts, and their possible overcoming. On this topic, I organized a conference at the host institution, entitled “La communauté à venir. Hommage à Jean-Luc Nancy”. Contributions will be gathered in an edited volume to be published in March 2024. A particular advanced axis of my work, was devoted to develop an understanding of the “we” which goes beyond the Us/them divide, which has dominated social and political philosophy during the last two centuries. I worked on three key figures, E. Levinas, J. Derrida and B. Waldenfels in order to challenge the antagonistic view of the “us versus them” relation, and to put into question its binary exclusionary logic. The research I have devoted myself to over the past two years has allowed me to open a new line of research, on a critical theory of the “we”. For the time being I was able to pursue this line of thought through the organization of a large international conference at the host institution on “Phénoménologie(s) et critique(s) du ‘nous’”. Contributions will be gathered in an edited volume and results published in articles in the coming months.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The theoretical findings and conceptual analysis produced in ENDURING WE are able to challenge current accounts of the genesis of a “we-perspective”, and result in a new theoretical framework that complement and goes beyond the limits of the dyadic I-you model upon which it has been conceived until now. They also suggest the need to reformulate our understanding of the us/them divide by which any particular sense of “us” is established. These findings and conceptual analysis go beyond the state of the art by: 1. Specifically tackling the contribution of French phenomenology to the academic debate on the “we” and on collective intentionality; 2. Developing an innovative phenomenological framework that also goes beyond the state of the art in the field of social phenomenology. These findings can also have an impact in order to draw new policies and political strategies of integration at the EU level. Since the promotion of a sense of shared identity is one of the main goals of current policies of the EU, the project’s results can support a critical development of future political strategies of integration in Europe.

Vassily Kandinsky - Several Circles