Philosophical inquiries into the "the Negro problem" -- the question of what blackness is and how we socially reckon with its existence -- have historically flourished outside of the academic mainstream, weaving through a myriad of forms -- art, criticism, sociology, autobiography, oral traditions, etc. -- that are typically not counted as philosophy. This class will challenge our assumptions about where good and rigorous philosophy happens by attempting to track the metaphilosophical challenges that the study of blackness produces. We will read a survey of black studies texts from writers including Nahum Chandler, Marquis Bey, Christina Sharpe, and Fred Moten. |