Bridging Conversations : “Paradigm Cases” of Dependency in Eva Kittay and Judith Butler

Abstract

Both Judith Butler and Eva Kittay have formulated an ethics centered around concepts of dependency and vulnerability. However, they take these concepts into divergent normative directions. I trace these differences back to the contrasting empirical examples that inform their respective takes on dependency. Borrowing the words of Eva Kittay, I analyze their arguments in terms of “paradigm cases” of dependency. For Kittay, the paradigm case supporting her thought is a person with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities; for Butler, it is a refugee. Drawing out these paradigm cases brings the theoretical tensions between Butler and Kittay into sharp relief. Rather than resolving them, I suggest using the paradigm cases as heuristic devices to examine dependency in actual care practices.