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“Happy slaves”? The adaptation problem and identity politics in the writings of Amartya Sen

Tony Burns (Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice (CSSGJ), School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK)

International Journal of Social Economics

ISSN: 0306-8293

Article publication date: 5 December 2016

770

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Amartya Sen’s notion of adaptation and his views on identity politics by focussing on the issue of slavery and, more specifically, on the example of the happy or contented slave.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is text based. The methodological approach adopted is that of conceptual analysis, as is typical for work of this kind.

Findings

The paper concludes that the example of the happy or contented slave is indeed a fruitful one for those interested in exploring the relationship between Sen’s views on “the adaptation problem” and his views on identity politics, especially in relation to the subjection of women. Here Sen’s debt to the ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill is particularly important.

Research limitations/implications

One implication of the argument of the paper is that there is a need to consider more carefully the differences that exist between the views of Wollstonecraft and Mill, so far as the example of the happy or contented slave is concerned.

Practical implications

One practical implication of the paper is that, hopefully, it establishes the continued relevance of the ideas of thinkers such as Wollstonecraft and Mill today, not least because of the influence that they have had on theoreticians such as Amartya Sen.

Social implications

The paper addresses issues which are of considerable social and political significance, especially for women in underdeveloped societies today.

Originality/value

The example of the happy or contented slave has not received much discussion in the literature on Sen, although Sen himself has suggested that the distinction between happiness and contentment is an important one, which does merit further discussion.

Keywords

Citation

Burns, T. (2016), "“Happy slaves”? The adaptation problem and identity politics in the writings of Amartya Sen", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 43 No. 12, pp. 1178-1193. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-09-2015-0232

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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