Companion to African-American Philosophy (eBook)

Tommy L. Lott is Professor of Philosophy at San José State University. He is author of The Invention of Race (Blackwell, 1999), editor of Subjugation and Bondage: Critical Essays on Slavery and Social Philosophy (1998), African-American Philosophy (2001), and co-editor of The Idea of Race (2000), and Philosophers on Race (Blackwell, 2002). John P. Pittman is Chair of the Department of Art, Music, and Philosophy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. He is editor of African-American Perspectives and Philosophical Traditions (1996) and Associate Editor of the journal Philosophia Africana.

Notes on Contributors viii

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Part I Philosophic Traditions

Introduction to Part I 3

1 Philosophy and the Afro-American Experience 7

CORNEL WEST

2 African-American Existential Philosophy 33

LEWIS R. GORDON

3 African-American Philosophy: A Caribbean Perspective 48

PAGET HENRY

4 Modernisms in Black 67

FRANK M. KIRKLAND

5 The Crisis of the Black Intellectual 87

HORTENSE J. SPILLERS

Part II The Moral and Political Legacy of Slavery

Introduction to Part II 107

6 Kant and Knowledge of Disappearing Expression 110

RONALD A. T. JUDY

7 Social Contract Theory, Slavery, and the Antebellum Courts
125

ANITA L. ALLEN AND THADDEUS POPE

8 The Morality of Reparations II 134

BERNARD R. BOXILL

Part III Africa and Diaspora Thought

Introduction to Part III 151

9 "Afrocentricity": Critical Considerations
155

LUCIUS T. OUTLAW, JR.

10 African Retentions 168

TOMMY L. LOTT

11 African Philosophy at the Turn of the Century 190

ALBERT G. MOSLEY

Part IV Gender, Race, and Racism

Introduction to Part IV 199

12 Some Group Matters: Intersectionality, Situated Standpoints,
and Black Feminist Thought 205

PATRICIA HILL COLLINS

13 Radicalizing Feminisms from "The Movement Era"
230

JOY A. JAMES

14 Philosophy and Racial Paradigms 239

NAOMI ZACK

15 Racial Classification and Public Policy 255

DAVID THEO GOLDBERG

16 White Supremacy 269

CHARLES W. MILLS

Part V Legal and Social Philosophy

Introduction to Part V 285

17 Self-Respect, Fairness, and Living Morally 293

LAURENCE M. THOMAS

18 The Legacy of Plessy v. Ferguson 306

MICHELE MOODY-ADAMS

19 Some Reflections on the Brown Decision and Its Aftermath
313

HOWARD McGARY

20 Contesting the Ambivalence and Hostility to Affirmative
Action within the Black Community 324

LUKE C. HARRIS

21 Subsistence Welfare Benefits as Property Interests: Legal
Theories and Moral Considerations 333

RUDOLPH V. VANTERPOOL

22 Racism and Health Care: A Medical Ethics Issue 349

ANNETTE DULA

23 Racialized Punishment and Prison Abolition 360

ANGELA Y. DAVIS

Part VI Aesthetic and Cultural Values

Introduction to Part VI 373

24 The Harlem Renaissance and Philosophy 381

LEONARD HARRIS

25 Critical Theory, Aesthetics, and Black Modernity 386

LORENZO C. SIMPSON

26 Black Cinema and Aesthetics 399

CLYDE R. TAYLOR

27 Thanatic Pornography, Interracial Rape, and the Ku Klux Klan
407

T. DENEAN SHARPLEY-WHITING

28 Lynching and Burning Rituals in African-American Literature
413

TRUDIER HARRIS-LOPEZ

29 Rap as Art and Philosophy 419

RICHARD SHUSTERMAN

30 Microphone Commandos: Rap Music and Political Ideology
429

BILL E. LAWSON

31 Sports, Political Philosophy, and the African American
436

GERALD EARLY

Index 450

"A Companion to African-American Philosophy is an
indispensable and elegant guide to a constellation of inquiries
into and about African-American thought and the production of that
thought." Wahneema Lubiano, Duke University

"Authoritative, compendious, and detailed, this landmark
publication sets a standard against which every other reference
work in the field must be judged." Wilson J. Moses, The
Pennsylvania State University

"A new convergence of reflections on the African-American
experience by some of the most active philosophers in the United
States. An important reference work for scholars and a useful tool
in the classroom." Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze, DePaul
University

"This is the most thorough compilation of contemporary
African-American philosophy I have yet seen. The inclusion of a
selection of essays on cultural issues is a great addition. From
racism to reparations to rap, these essays show how philosophers
can illuminate current debates and eliminate persistent confusions
in the mainstream discussions of these topics." Linda
Martín Alcoff, Syracuse University

"A Companion to African-American Philosophy is a valuable
reference source. The editors have done an excellent job of
representing the essential themes of African-American philosophical
thought as well as notable individuals from the field. Libraries
that support black history/studies, philosophy, American studies,
and contemporary American thought should definitely purchase the
Companion: it is well worth the cost. The novice will
especially gain a wealth of information." Reference
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