Discrimination As a Form of Political Exclusion: An Analysis from Arendtian Theory in Contemporary Times

Abstract

This article derives from a doctoral thesis in philosophy titled “Discrimination as a Form of Political Exclusion: A Critical Reading from Hannah Arendt and Other Contemporary Approaches.” It analyzes discrimination not merely as a social problem or a violation of rights, but as a structural mechanism of political exclusion. Through an exhaustive review of Hannah Arendt’s works and a critical reading, it is argued that discrimination operates through the denial of human plurality, expelling subjects and various groups from the public sphere and depriving them of their capacity to participate within it. In this sense, the German-Jewish philosopher, in her works The Human Condition and The Origins of Totalitarianism, posits that human beings appear before others through action and speech, revealing their uniqueness, which is essential for interaction in a shared space, thereby establishing their individual revelation in the collective space and asserting their political condition.

In this regard, plurality, from the Arendtian perspective, is essential to human existence and to the shared world. It serves as a stage where human beings can appear through speech and action. Therefore, denying plurality instigates discrimination and annuls the political space, as it homogenizes human beings, resulting in the loss of collective identity. Discrimination becomes institutionalized through the creation of "superfluous" or stateless individuals, stripping them of all political, social, and human belonging.

The article argues that democracies are currently being eroded, as states perpetuate discrimination under naturalized forms such as structural racism, sexism, aporophobia, and xenophobia. Authors such as Judith Butler, Martha Nussbaum, and Zygmunt Bauman demonstrate that structural inequality and the exclusion of vulnerable groups (migrants, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, sexual dissidents) weaken democracy. Furthermore, when societies rise up against these acts, it is often viewed as a threat, as it denies the right to be recognized as a political subject.

It should be noted that discrimination is a global phenomenon that deprives subjects of their political condition. The political and social challenge is to restore the common world through  the defense of human dignity, plurality, and the right to political participation. It is imperative that democracies recognize the "other" to prevent fear and exclusion from continuing to serve as instruments of domination..