Levinas’ Ontology of the Home: A Panacea for Radical Nationalism

Abstract: There is an undeniable nexus between radical nationalism and violent conflict or war. Radical nationalism has its roots in Heidegger’s concept of autochthony which is an offshoot of Western Philosophy’s ontological categories in which the uniqueness of the “Other” is perverted and primacy is given to the “Totality” or the “Same”. Levinas’ ontology of the “home” is a response to Heidegger’s concept of autochthony or rootedness and therefore, a panacea for radical nationalism and the concomitant isolation, discrimination and injustices that breed human conflict.