Introduction
The term abjection, first used by Mary Douglas (1966), is useful in extending our understanding of how social class, poverty, exclusion, stigma, colonization, illness, and intergroup relations can work in concert to marginalize particular groups of people in society. Discussions of abjection are commonly referenced to Kristeva (1982) who developed a psychoanalytic and feminist reading of the term that focuses primarily on individual experiences of embodiment, boundaries, and separation. This is, however, only a partial interpretation of Mary Douglas’ work. A broader conceptualization of abjection is more appropriate in the context of diverse societies and in order to understand and address more fully social stratification and inequalities.
Definition
Abjection refers to a process whereby particular individuals and groups are singled out, othered, and dehumanized as abjects or tainted, dirty subjects to be avoided by other “normal” and “civilized” citizens. Abjects are...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Anderson, W. (1995). Excremental colonialism: Public health and the poetics of pollution. Critical Inquiry, 21, 640–669.
Douglas, M. (1966/2002). Purity and danger: An analysis of concepts of pollution and taboo. London/New York: Routledge.
Hodgetts, D., Stolte, O., Nikora, L., & Groot, S. (2012). Drifting along or dropping into homelessness: A class analysis of responses to homelessness. Antipode, 44(4), 1209–1226.
Kristeva, J. (1982). Powers of horror: An essay on abjection. New York: Columbia University Press.
Lawler, S. (2005). Disgusted subjects: The making of middle-class identities. The Sociological Review, 53(3), 429–446.
Mayhew, H. (1861). London labour and the London poor. New York: A. M. Kelly.
McCallum, D. (2001). Personality and dangerousness: Genealogies of antisocial personality disorder. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Mitchell, D., & Heynen, N. (2009). The geography of survival and the right to the city: Speculations on surveillance, legal innovation, and the criminalization of intervention. Urban Geographies, 30(6), 611–632.
Orwell, G. (1937/1975). The Road to Wigan Pier. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Tyler, I. (2009). Against abjection. Feminist Theory, 10(1), 77–98.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hodgetts, D., Stolte, O. (2014). Abjection. In: Teo, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_494
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_494
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5582-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5583-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Sciences