Tolerating diversity and fostering tolerance of others have both become key values and constant challenges in contemporary multicultural and multireligious societies. Recently, however, critical voices – such as that of Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor in a Western metropolis – have challenged the policy of tolerance as being insufficient. Tolerance is essentially based on disagreement – and we need more than just to accept what we dislike or disagree with. We need to recognize one another's right to live and prosper – we need to respect, embrace, and celebrate diversity.

The distinction between tolerance and recognition can be illustrated by women's experiences in different political, economic, religious, and intellectual contexts, including the academic world. Undoubtedly, women have long been tolerated in academia, but in a world of “manels” (all-male panels), “mansplaining” (patronizing or condescending comments by a man to a [younger] woman), and “Festicles” (Festschrifts in honor of men with contributions by other men) it may be asked whether women are truly recognized. If they are, as what are they recognized – and by whom?

In recent decades, recognition has become an important analytical concept in critical social theory, closely connected with social justice and the identity politics of minority groups. The basic question deals with how different people who identify themselves by categories such as ethnicity, gender, economic status, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation can live together in the same society while enjoying ever greater self-determination and political autonomy.