In The Other Side of Empathy, Jade E. Davis contests the value of empathy as an affective or critical tool. Whether focusing on technology, colonialism, or racism, she shows how empathy can obscure relationships of dominance, control, submission, and victimization, arguing that these histories taint the whole concept of empathy. Drawing on digital archives of photographs, memoirs, newspapers, interviews, and advertisements regarding nineteenth-century ethnographic museums and human zoos, Davis shows how empathetic responses erase culpabilities from those institutions that commodify difference. She also contends that empathy’s mediation through digital technology cannot lead to more ethical actions, as technology only connects representations of people rather than the people themselves. In empathy’s place, Davis proposes mutual recognition as a way to see and experience others beyond colonial modes of empathy. Davis illustrates that moving beyond empathy allows for a more nuanced understanding of the colonial past and its ongoing impact while providing for a more meaningful affective engagement with the world.

"“In this deeply original and thoughtful book, Jade E. Davis takes affect theory into new territory. Her writing makes the reader uncomfortable and curious at the same time, which is rare and wonderful. Dispelling many myths about empathy while executing an innovative stylistic and theoretical model, Davis has written a radical book that will spark conversation, debate, and new directions for research.”" - Affective Publics: Sentiment, Technology, and Politics

"Powerful, provocative, and urgent, The Other Side of Empathy re-negotiates popular liberal views that frame empathy as an all-encompassing, versatile panacea, capable of bridging social and cultural gaps. Davis contests empathy’s seemingly unquestionable value and inherent potential as a critical tool in affect and cultural studies. In particular, she examines how empathetic encounters work when racial biases are involved." - Capacious