Structural injustice and the significance of the past
| Published date | 01 October 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14748851211045906 |
| Author | Seung Hyun Song |
| Date | 01 October 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Reviews |
Structural injustice and the
significance of the past
Seung Hyun Song
RIPPLE, KU Leuven, Belgium
Alasia Nuti, Injustice and the Reproduction of History: Structural Inequalities, Gender and Redress,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019, 238 pp (Hardback). ISBN 9781108325592.
Abstract
Alasia Nuti’sInjustice and the Reproduction of History lays out a brilliant structural injust-
ice approach that i ncorporates th e normative sign ificance of the past. This article will
introduce Nuti’s framework and critically reflect on its original contributions. First, I
will explain how Nuti’s structural injustice approach successfully incorporates back-
ward-looking dimensions. Second, I will provide a detailed analysis of Nuti’sconcep-
tion of sexism as a specific type of structural injustice. Finally, I will critically engage
with Nuti’s idea of structural remedy and explore how her analysis could be extended.
Keywords
Structural injustice, historical injustice, remedy, sexism, backward-looking
The normative significance of historical injustice has been an important point of dispute
in the literature on reparative justice. The debate is often divided between backward- and
forward-looking approaches. On the one hand, backward-looking approaches assume
that an injustice, once committed, should be rectified. Likewise, the present generation
has obligations to rectify historical injustices today. On the other hand, forward-looking
approaches take historical injustices to be relevant as long as they help improve the
present relations or lessen present inequalities. Between the diverging camps of
backward- and forward-looking approaches, structural injustice approaches have been
characterized as largely forward-looking. Alasia Nuti’sInjustice and the Reproduction
of History offers an excellent criticism of this trend.
I will critically reflect on Nuti’s book in three steps. First, I will introduce how Nuti’s
structural injustice approach incorporates backward-looking concerns of justice. Second,
I engage with Nuti’s application of her structural injustice approach to a specific case
Corresponding author:
Seung Hyun Song, RIPPLE, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Email: seunghyun.song@kuleuven.be
Review
European Journal of Political Theory
2023, Vol. 22(4) 647–656
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/14748851211045906
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