Recognition as symbolic authority – from the master-slave dialectic to the politics of soft domination in the modern state (Hegel as a model)

Abstract

   This research sought to study the concept of recognition as symbolic power by tracing its transformation from being a foundational moment in the formation of consciousness and subjectivity in Hegel. The research aimed to reread the master-slave dialectic to reveal its symbolic dimensions related to the formation of power, and to trace the transfer of the concept of recognition from the binary relationship between master and slave to the broader institutional structures in Hegel's philosophy of right, where the state, law, and moral society mediate relations of recognition. The research adopted a critical approach combining conceptual analysis of Hegel's fundamental texts. The results show that the master-slave dialectic does not represent merely a linear narrative of liberation, but rather demonstrates that non-reciprocal recognition grants the master symbolic power based on the slave's need for recognition. Thus, achieved freedom remains incomplete unless it is based on mutual recognition between subjects. The research concludes that overcoming this dilemma is not achieved by rejecting recognition, but rather by re-establishing it on the basis of mutual recognition between free and equal subjects, far removed from the state's monopoly on the means of social valuation.