Subjectivity and political theory: The critical centrality of reference

The idea of individual autonomy, or subjectivity, undergirds our rights, our notions of duty and obligation, our system of representation, and our views of economic accumulation and redistribution. The notion of the autonomous subject is also the basis for the subject-object distinction which underlies modern epistemology. This idea has been eroded by Post-Structuralist analyses (genealogies), leading to a call for socio-epistemic withdrawal and rebellious self-creation. This prescription is criticized for its misapprehension of the social interaction process and an attempt is made to isolate a "subject surrogate", or an alternative idea of political reference. A synthesis of symbolic interactionism and Anglo-American analytic philosophy leads to a revitalization of utilitarianism and a notion of political reference based on the social construction of selves and other realities.