Companion to African-American Philosophy

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 viiiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xvPart I Philosophic TraditionsIntroduction to Part I 31 Philosophy and the Afro-American Experience 7CORNEL WEST2 African-American Existential Philosophy 33LEWIS R. GORDON3 African-American Philosophy: A Caribbean Perspective 48PAGET HENRY4 Modernisms in Black 67FRANK M. KIRKLAND5 The Crisis of the Black Intellectual 87HORTENSE J. SPILLERSPart II The Moral and Political Legacy of SlaveryIntroduction to Part II 1076 Kant and Knowledge of Disappearing Expression 110RONALD A. T. JUDY7 Social Contract Theory, Slavery, and the Antebellum Courts 125ANITA L. ALLEN AND THADDEUS POPE8 The Morality of Reparations II 134BERNARD R. BOXILLPart III Africa and Diaspora ThoughtIntroduction to Part III 1519 “Afrocentricity”: Critical Considerations 155LUCIUS T. OUTLAW, JR.10 African Retentions 168TOMMY L. LOTT11 African Philosophy at the Turn of the Century 190ALBERT G. MOSLEYPart IV Gender, Race, and RacismIntroduction to Part IV 19912 Some Group Matters: Intersectionality, Situated Standpoints, and Black Feminist Thought 205PATRICIA HILL COLLINS13 Radicalizing Feminisms from “The Movement Era” 230JOY A. JAMES14 Philosophy and Racial Paradigms 239NAOMI ZACK15 Racial Classification and Public Policy 255DAVID THEO GOLDBERG16 White Supremacy 269CHARLES W. MILLSPart V Legal and Social PhilosophyIntroduction to Part V 28517 Self-Respect, Fairness, and Living Morally 293LAURENCE M. THOMAS18 The Legacy of Plessy v. Ferguson 306MICHELE MOODY-ADAMS19 Some Reflections on the Brown Decision and Its Aftermath 313HOWARD McGARY20 Contesting the Ambivalence and Hostility to Affirmative Action within the Black Community 324LUKE C. HARRIS21 Subsistence Welfare Benefits as Property Interests: Legal Theories and Moral Considerations 333RUDOLPH V. VANTERPOOL22 Racism and Health Care: A Medical Ethics Issue 349ANNETTE DULA23 Racialized Punishment and Prison Abolition 360ANGELA Y. DAVISPart VI Aesthetic and Cultural ValuesIntroduction to Part VI 37324 The Harlem Renaissance and Philosophy 381LEONARD HARRIS25 Critical Theory, Aesthetics, and Black Modernity 386LORENZO C. SIMPSON26 Black Cinema and Aesthetics 399CLYDE R. TAYLOR27 Thanatic Pornography, Interracial Rape, and the Ku Klux Klan 407T. DENEAN SHARPLEY-WHITING28 Lynching and Burning Rituals in African-American Literature 413TRUDIER HARRIS-LOPEZ29 Rap as Art and Philosophy 419RICHARD SHUSTERMAN30 Microphone Commandos: Rap Music and Political Ideology 429BILL E. LAWSON31 Sports, Political Philosophy, and the African American 436GERALD EARLYIndex 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 Reviews