Critical Phenomenology

Critical phenomenology is a normatively engaged branch of phenomenology that examines how constitutive yet contingent, hegemonic social norms and structures - such as patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, and heteronormativity - shape the horizon of lived experience in differential ways. This approach makes these norms and structures available as objects of critical scrutiny, opening them up to the possibility of change, amelioration, or repair. This paper illuminates the methodological challenges involved in critical phenomenology as a new paradigm in phenomenology and beyond, by unpacking two foundational debates, pertaining to the key questions: “What is phenomenological about critical phenomenology?” and “What is critical about critical phenomenology?” The latter question also addresses whether critical phenomenology should be an activist practice. The next section discusses critical phenomenology as an interdisciplinary project and its potential implications. This contribution concludes with some final considerations on the direction in which critical phenomenology is heading.