Beyond Han’s critique: The location of the Other

Byung-Chul Han claims that neoliberal society lacks the Other, presenting a new societal and subjective paradigm. He argues that the demise of the Other presents social critical theorists with an urgent task: finding an appropriate theory to describe and explain this contemporary society devoid of the Other. Therefore, he critiques Giorgio Agamben’s theory, suggesting it describes an immunological society, while today’s society is post-immunological, thus requiring a new analytical framework. Han views his theory as closer to the picture of neoliberalism than Agamben’s. However, this article intends to challenge Han’s conclusion by demonstrating that he misinterprets Agamben and mislocates the Other by analyzing the conversation between Han and Agamben.