The recognition-redistribution debate in two “politically incorrect” cases: Nueva Soberanía y Con Mis Hijos No Te Metas

Abstract

In the post-World War II scenario, at least three models of society were developed: the socialist model defended by the USSR, the neoliberal model which appears as a theoretical novelty,and the welfare model that was adopted, in different ways, in a large part of the Western countries. These models share a common core: the centrality of social and economic features in the organization of political and social life, and therefore the focus of attention - and the main social struggles - pointed towards the policies of redistribution. In the 1970s, when the welfare and Soviet models showed their limits and the neoliberal model gained strength, theoretical work on redistribution (led by liberal-egalitarian theorists)emerged together with struggles of the “new” social movements on recognition. In the current stage of accumulation marked by globalization and the cultural turn, some authors argue that struggles for recognition have extinguished struggles for redistribution, giving priority to symbolic and cultural issues over the economy and class struggle. This tension between redistribution and recognition has generated numerous debates still unfinished, among which the discussion between Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth stands out. In the present work, we look into some central points of this controversy with the aim of analysing two specific cases: the Nueva Soberanía neo-Nazi group and the movement Con mis hijos no temetas.