Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism

Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism

Author: Devon R. Johnson

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-11-04

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1538153505

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This is an innovative work in Africana philosophical thought that links the phenomenon of nihilism in black America, in particular black American youth, to modern traditions of Western philosophy. Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism engages defining themes of black existential life by offering a framework for considering the relationships between antiblack racism, pessimism, nihilism, weakness, strength, maturity, freedom, and hope in the 21st century. This book readdresses themes popularly raised by Cornel West in 1994 regarding the nature, causes, evaluations, diagnoses, and prognoses of what has been called, “nihilism in black America.” Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism seeks to recontextualize discussions of nihilism and its possibilities for American cultural life. As a result, this book bears important questions, offers unique analyses, and suggests radical responses that are relevant for studies of black life and theories of justice in twenty-first century America.


Book Synopsis Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism by : Devon R. Johnson

Download or read book Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism written by Devon R. Johnson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-11-04 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an innovative work in Africana philosophical thought that links the phenomenon of nihilism in black America, in particular black American youth, to modern traditions of Western philosophy. Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism engages defining themes of black existential life by offering a framework for considering the relationships between antiblack racism, pessimism, nihilism, weakness, strength, maturity, freedom, and hope in the 21st century. This book readdresses themes popularly raised by Cornel West in 1994 regarding the nature, causes, evaluations, diagnoses, and prognoses of what has been called, “nihilism in black America.” Black Nihilism and Antiblack Racism seeks to recontextualize discussions of nihilism and its possibilities for American cultural life. As a result, this book bears important questions, offers unique analyses, and suggests radical responses that are relevant for studies of black life and theories of justice in twenty-first century America.

A Philosophical Analysis of Nihilism and Antiblack Racism

A Philosophical Analysis of Nihilism and Antiblack Racism

Author: Devon Ralston Johnson

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13:

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This dissertation offers a philosophical analysis of nihilism and antiblack racism. I argue that nihilism, the phenomenon espoused by Friedrich Nietzsche, is an implicit feature of antiblack racism. As a result of the implicit nihilism involved in antiblack racism, black existential life occupies a black nihilistic situation. In response to the black nihilistic situation, one can respond either weakly, as I argue is the case with Cornel West and Derrick Bell, or strongly, as I argue is the case with Frantz Fanon. I conclude that strong black nihilism is a healthy response to nihilism and antiblack racism because it is a trans-valuation of traditional forms of antiblack racist valuing, which exemplifies a commitment to the language and action of constructing non-decadent human worlds premised upon the existential freedom and responsibility of all human beings.


Book Synopsis A Philosophical Analysis of Nihilism and Antiblack Racism by : Devon Ralston Johnson

Download or read book A Philosophical Analysis of Nihilism and Antiblack Racism written by Devon Ralston Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation offers a philosophical analysis of nihilism and antiblack racism. I argue that nihilism, the phenomenon espoused by Friedrich Nietzsche, is an implicit feature of antiblack racism. As a result of the implicit nihilism involved in antiblack racism, black existential life occupies a black nihilistic situation. In response to the black nihilistic situation, one can respond either weakly, as I argue is the case with Cornel West and Derrick Bell, or strongly, as I argue is the case with Frantz Fanon. I conclude that strong black nihilism is a healthy response to nihilism and antiblack racism because it is a trans-valuation of traditional forms of antiblack racist valuing, which exemplifies a commitment to the language and action of constructing non-decadent human worlds premised upon the existential freedom and responsibility of all human beings.

Ontological Terror

Ontological Terror

Author: Calvin L. Warren

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 2018-04-06

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 0822371847

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In Ontological Terror Calvin L. Warren intervenes in Afro-pessimism, Heideggerian metaphysics, and black humanist philosophy by positing that the "Negro question" is intimately imbricated with questions of Being. Warren uses the figure of the antebellum free black as a philosophical paradigm for thinking through the tensions between blackness and Being. He illustrates how blacks embody a metaphysical nothing. This nothingness serves as a destabilizing presence and force as well as that which whiteness defines itself against. Thus, the function of blackness as giving form to nothing presents a terrifying problem for whites: they need blacks to affirm their existence, even as they despise the nothingness they represent. By pointing out how all humanism is based on investing blackness with nonbeing—a logic which reproduces antiblack violence and precludes any realization of equality, justice, and recognition for blacks—Warren urges the removal of the human from its metaphysical pedestal and the exploration of ways of existing that are not predicated on a grounding in being.


Book Synopsis Ontological Terror by : Calvin L. Warren

Download or read book Ontological Terror written by Calvin L. Warren and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-06 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Ontological Terror Calvin L. Warren intervenes in Afro-pessimism, Heideggerian metaphysics, and black humanist philosophy by positing that the "Negro question" is intimately imbricated with questions of Being. Warren uses the figure of the antebellum free black as a philosophical paradigm for thinking through the tensions between blackness and Being. He illustrates how blacks embody a metaphysical nothing. This nothingness serves as a destabilizing presence and force as well as that which whiteness defines itself against. Thus, the function of blackness as giving form to nothing presents a terrifying problem for whites: they need blacks to affirm their existence, even as they despise the nothingness they represent. By pointing out how all humanism is based on investing blackness with nonbeing—a logic which reproduces antiblack violence and precludes any realization of equality, justice, and recognition for blacks—Warren urges the removal of the human from its metaphysical pedestal and the exploration of ways of existing that are not predicated on a grounding in being.

Jackson and Jones

Jackson and Jones

Author: Ray Andrew Delva

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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Author's abstract: As a result of the increasingly popular notion that the United States of America has evolved into a post-racial society, most American discussions on race (academic, or not) tend to be non-comprehensive and oversimplified. When assessing the current socioeconomic dilemmas unique to African-Americans, scholars on both sides of the political spectrum often overlook a critical component of the African-American condition: the looming threat of black nihilism which Dr. Cornel West defines as "the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness" (West 14). By performing a close analysis on the activist George Jackson's book Soledad Brother, this study illuminates key characteristics of the detrimental phenomenon. In addition, this study utilizes the revolutionary drama of poet and Black Arts Movement founder, LeRoi Jones, in order to bridge the gap between black nihilism and W.E.B. Dubois's notion of double consciousness. An evaluation of black nihilism in the works of Jackson and Jones adds a layer of understanding towards the African-American condition by revealing the various societal and political factors that foster feelings of ineptitude and helplessness in the black American community. The revelations of this study nullify any notion that America has become a post-racial nation. By bridging the theoretical gap between black nihilism and double-consciousness, this study will contribute to future research in Africana studies and black existentialism. By expounding on one of Du Bois's most prominent conceptions, this study becomes part of the Du Boisian body of research which is still growing.


Book Synopsis Jackson and Jones by : Ray Andrew Delva

Download or read book Jackson and Jones written by Ray Andrew Delva and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author's abstract: As a result of the increasingly popular notion that the United States of America has evolved into a post-racial society, most American discussions on race (academic, or not) tend to be non-comprehensive and oversimplified. When assessing the current socioeconomic dilemmas unique to African-Americans, scholars on both sides of the political spectrum often overlook a critical component of the African-American condition: the looming threat of black nihilism which Dr. Cornel West defines as "the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness" (West 14). By performing a close analysis on the activist George Jackson's book Soledad Brother, this study illuminates key characteristics of the detrimental phenomenon. In addition, this study utilizes the revolutionary drama of poet and Black Arts Movement founder, LeRoi Jones, in order to bridge the gap between black nihilism and W.E.B. Dubois's notion of double consciousness. An evaluation of black nihilism in the works of Jackson and Jones adds a layer of understanding towards the African-American condition by revealing the various societal and political factors that foster feelings of ineptitude and helplessness in the black American community. The revelations of this study nullify any notion that America has become a post-racial nation. By bridging the theoretical gap between black nihilism and double-consciousness, this study will contribute to future research in Africana studies and black existentialism. By expounding on one of Du Bois's most prominent conceptions, this study becomes part of the Du Boisian body of research which is still growing.

Race Matters

Race Matters

Author: Cornel West

Publisher: Beacon Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 9780807009727

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Now more than ever, Race Matters is a book for all Americans, as it helps us to build a genuine multiracial democracy in the new millennium."--BOOK JACKET.


Book Synopsis Race Matters by : Cornel West

Download or read book Race Matters written by Cornel West and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now more than ever, Race Matters is a book for all Americans, as it helps us to build a genuine multiracial democracy in the new millennium."--BOOK JACKET.

Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism

Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism

Author: Lewis Ricardo Gordon

Publisher: Humanities Press International

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism by : Lewis Ricardo Gordon

Download or read book Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism written by Lewis Ricardo Gordon and published by Humanities Press International. This book was released on 1995 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism

Author: Kevin Aho

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-04-18

Total Pages: 511

ISBN-13: 1040006299

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Of the philosophical movements of the twentieth century existentialism is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking. Its engagement with the themes of authenticity, freedom, bad faith, nihilism, and the death of God captured the imagination of millions. However, in the twenty-first century existentialism is grappling with fresh questions and debates that move far beyond traditional existential preoccupations, ranging from the lived experience of the embodied self, intersectionality, and feminist theory to comparative philosophy, digital existentialism, disability studies, and philosophy of race. The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism explores these topics and more, connecting the ideas and insights of existentialism with some of the most urgent debates and challenges in philosophy today. Eight clear sections explore the following topics: methodology and technology social and political perspectives environment and place affectivity and emotion death and freedom value existentialism and Asian philosophy aging and disability. As well as chapters on key figures such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Beauvoir, the Handbook includes chapters on topics as diverse as Chicana feminism, ecophilosophy and the environment, Latina existentialism, Black nihilism, the Kyoto school and southeast Asian existentialism, and the experiences of aging, disability, and death. Essential reading for students and researchers in the areas of existentialism and phenomenology, The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism will also be of interest to those studying ethics, philosophy and gender, philosophy of race, the emotions and philosophical issues in health and illness as well as related disciplines such as Literature, Sociology, and Political Theory.


Book Synopsis The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism by : Kevin Aho

Download or read book The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism written by Kevin Aho and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-04-18 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the philosophical movements of the twentieth century existentialism is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking. Its engagement with the themes of authenticity, freedom, bad faith, nihilism, and the death of God captured the imagination of millions. However, in the twenty-first century existentialism is grappling with fresh questions and debates that move far beyond traditional existential preoccupations, ranging from the lived experience of the embodied self, intersectionality, and feminist theory to comparative philosophy, digital existentialism, disability studies, and philosophy of race. The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism explores these topics and more, connecting the ideas and insights of existentialism with some of the most urgent debates and challenges in philosophy today. Eight clear sections explore the following topics: methodology and technology social and political perspectives environment and place affectivity and emotion death and freedom value existentialism and Asian philosophy aging and disability. As well as chapters on key figures such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Beauvoir, the Handbook includes chapters on topics as diverse as Chicana feminism, ecophilosophy and the environment, Latina existentialism, Black nihilism, the Kyoto school and southeast Asian existentialism, and the experiences of aging, disability, and death. Essential reading for students and researchers in the areas of existentialism and phenomenology, The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism will also be of interest to those studying ethics, philosophy and gender, philosophy of race, the emotions and philosophical issues in health and illness as well as related disciplines such as Literature, Sociology, and Political Theory.

Sartre on Contingency

Sartre on Contingency

Author: Mabogo Percy More

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-09-22

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 1538157055

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The problem of antiblack racism has a long history in the world, with as long a history of thinkers writing and theorizing against it. Few philosophers have opposed institutionalized racialism as vehemently as Jean-Paul Sartre, both in his intellectual work and in his political action. This book argues that not only does a relationship exists between Sartre’s existentialist philosophy and antiracism but also, more profoundly, that it is precisely his existential ontology that informs his anti-racist social and political commitments. He sought to examine the complexity of our existence as conscious bodies and thus provides the ontological basis for understanding the situation of a black person in an antiblack world. This book is about how Sartre’s philosophy – especially his early writings – can be applied to address the problem of racism against black people. It argues that among the many concepts in Sartre’s work that are useful in understanding the problem of racism against black people, the philosophical notion of contingency is one of the most significant. Contingency in Sartre is the view that whatever exists, need not exist, and that therefore it can be changed; that the fact that one is born white or black without their choice, has no moral weight at all in treating others as though they are responsible for what they are. In this book Mabogo More contends that through Sartre’s philosophical notion of contingency, he provides us with the ammunition to understand and deal with racism broadly, and antiblack racism in particular.


Book Synopsis Sartre on Contingency by : Mabogo Percy More

Download or read book Sartre on Contingency written by Mabogo Percy More and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-09-22 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problem of antiblack racism has a long history in the world, with as long a history of thinkers writing and theorizing against it. Few philosophers have opposed institutionalized racialism as vehemently as Jean-Paul Sartre, both in his intellectual work and in his political action. This book argues that not only does a relationship exists between Sartre’s existentialist philosophy and antiracism but also, more profoundly, that it is precisely his existential ontology that informs his anti-racist social and political commitments. He sought to examine the complexity of our existence as conscious bodies and thus provides the ontological basis for understanding the situation of a black person in an antiblack world. This book is about how Sartre’s philosophy – especially his early writings – can be applied to address the problem of racism against black people. It argues that among the many concepts in Sartre’s work that are useful in understanding the problem of racism against black people, the philosophical notion of contingency is one of the most significant. Contingency in Sartre is the view that whatever exists, need not exist, and that therefore it can be changed; that the fact that one is born white or black without their choice, has no moral weight at all in treating others as though they are responsible for what they are. In this book Mabogo More contends that through Sartre’s philosophical notion of contingency, he provides us with the ammunition to understand and deal with racism broadly, and antiblack racism in particular.

The Blackness of Black

The Blackness of Black

Author: William David Hart

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2020-10-16

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 179361587X

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This book explores the relations among blackness, antiblackness, and Black people within the discourse of the blackness of black. This critical discourse developed during the last two decades as scholars explored what Saidiya Hartman describes as the afterlife of slavery. Hartman’s concept, which argues for a troubling continuity between the status of enslaved and emancipated Black people, is the pivot between discursive tributaries and trajectories. Tributaries of the discourse of the blackness of black comprise five foundational concepts: Frantz Fanon’s “phobogenic blackness,” Orlando Patterson’s “social death,” Cedric Robinson’s “racial capitalism and the black radical tradition,” and Hortense Spillers’ “flesh.” The book traces three trajectories within the afterlife of slavery: Frank Wilderson’s “ Afropessimism,” Fred Moten’s “generative blackness,” and Calvin Warren’s “black nihilism.” This ensemble of concepts enable us to understand what is at state in how we understand the relations among blackness, antiblackness, and Black people.


Book Synopsis The Blackness of Black by : William David Hart

Download or read book The Blackness of Black written by William David Hart and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-10-16 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the relations among blackness, antiblackness, and Black people within the discourse of the blackness of black. This critical discourse developed during the last two decades as scholars explored what Saidiya Hartman describes as the afterlife of slavery. Hartman’s concept, which argues for a troubling continuity between the status of enslaved and emancipated Black people, is the pivot between discursive tributaries and trajectories. Tributaries of the discourse of the blackness of black comprise five foundational concepts: Frantz Fanon’s “phobogenic blackness,” Orlando Patterson’s “social death,” Cedric Robinson’s “racial capitalism and the black radical tradition,” and Hortense Spillers’ “flesh.” The book traces three trajectories within the afterlife of slavery: Frank Wilderson’s “ Afropessimism,” Fred Moten’s “generative blackness,” and Calvin Warren’s “black nihilism.” This ensemble of concepts enable us to understand what is at state in how we understand the relations among blackness, antiblackness, and Black people.

Black Existentialism

Black Existentialism

Author: danielle davis

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-02-06

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1786611481

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Few contemporary intellectuals have attempted to inform theory, the academy and social change as does Lewis Gordon. Following his own path of Fanon, Cesaire and Said, Gordon’s work is an urgent call to action that is critical ‘in the trying times’ in which we find ourselves. In this important book, international scholars from many disciplines and areas of life engage in Gordon’s work to prod, rattle and rethink our thinking to inform and change our practices as humans in institutions, politics, and the personal, legal and social paradigms. The book focuses on the importance of radical theory and thinkers to push for projects of change in the area of Black Existentialism. Gordon’s now extensive oeuvre personifies this. The essays use the work of Lewis Gordon to demonstrate how theory and thought be can used for transformation of existence, antiracism and critiques of alterity, resistance, pedagogy, political action theory and disciplinary decadence in the academy and beyond.


Book Synopsis Black Existentialism by : danielle davis

Download or read book Black Existentialism written by danielle davis and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-02-06 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few contemporary intellectuals have attempted to inform theory, the academy and social change as does Lewis Gordon. Following his own path of Fanon, Cesaire and Said, Gordon’s work is an urgent call to action that is critical ‘in the trying times’ in which we find ourselves. In this important book, international scholars from many disciplines and areas of life engage in Gordon’s work to prod, rattle and rethink our thinking to inform and change our practices as humans in institutions, politics, and the personal, legal and social paradigms. The book focuses on the importance of radical theory and thinkers to push for projects of change in the area of Black Existentialism. Gordon’s now extensive oeuvre personifies this. The essays use the work of Lewis Gordon to demonstrate how theory and thought be can used for transformation of existence, antiracism and critiques of alterity, resistance, pedagogy, political action theory and disciplinary decadence in the academy and beyond.