Nikita Dhawan is Professor of Political Theory and Gender Studies at the Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria, and Director of the Frankfurt Research Center for Postcolonial Studies, Cluster of Excellence ‘The Formation of Normative Orders’ at Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
The accumulative injustice of wars, political conflicts and environmental destruction can lead to ‘empathy fatigue’. Could altruistic behaviour, known for activating happiness hormones, be the antidote? And can culture nurture the necessary positive political emotions, while itself under attack from culture wars?
Can street protests communicate justice for all? Political theorist Nikita Dhawan criticizes global movements where only ‘certain individuals are well positioned to express their aspirations’.
