In her analysis of structural injustice, Iris Marion Young uses the example of Sandy, a single mother facing eviction. Young argues that while individuals like landlords treat Sandy decently, systemic conditions lead her to deep housing insecurity. She emphasizes that the crisis cannot be traced to a single source of responsibility, but rather a collection of factors and structures. Young challenges the notion of ‘backward-looking’ responsibility and underscores the need to address structural conditions while also exploring the potential role of legal rules in exacerbating such injustices.
"Young's work is enormously insightful and important for drawing attention to background structures that constrain people's choices and for developing the concept of forward-looking, political responsibility."
"In a case such as this, it is hard to assign what Young describes as 'backward-looking' responsibility-to know what can be done, and who has the power to do it."
"Considering who is responsible for this, Young explains that multiple factors come together to cause the situation, and that no individual, company, or law can be singled out as a major factor."
"Sandy suffers an injustice as no one should be in a position of deep insecurity of housing, particularly in an affluent society in which others benefit from the practices that led to her predicament."
Collection
[
|
...
]