Pozornost in gostoljubje

The essay is a philosophical reflection carried out by way of a sociological investigation. The goal is to understand what role attention plays in the everyday life of asylum seekers, from its pathological aspects that affect their identity to the attention that they give to others or that they receive from others, which revives their responsivity. Perpetually stimulated by the state accommodation centers for asylum seekers (reception systems) and their life as asylum seekers, the capacity to direct their attention becomes jeopardized. But when intersubjective relationships open up a common sphere, attention is revived and can be directed again: new responses are possible. On the basis of phenomenological descriptions coming from fieldwork, I characterize this inter-attention (between asylum seekers and “helpers”) as a particular mode of hospitality. From this, I conclude by sketching an ethics of attention.