RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Podcasted process pieces from my course Black Existentialism. The course introduces one of the most important and potent mid-century intellectual movements - the existentialist movement - through a series of black Atlantic thinkers. Our keystone will be Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, which is arguably the most important work of Black existentialism from this period. Across the semester we will see why existentialism, with its focus on the ambiguities and ambivalences of lived-experience, had such a deep impact on Black thinkers across the diaspora. We will see these existentialist insights register in literature, philosophy, and film. Old and new.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Black existentialism concepts • Race and masculinity • Violence • Guilt and death • Visibility and invisibility • Liberation and self-formation • Culture and colonization • Identity and diaspora • Sound and world-making • Language and colonialismThis podcast, titled "Black Existentialism," explores the rich and multifaceted domain of Black existential thought through a variety of philosophical, literary, and cinematic lenses. The focus of the podcast is on the existentialist movement's profound impact on Black thinkers across the diaspora, particularly through their engagement with themes like race, identity, and the human condition. Centrally, the course examines Frantz Fanon’s seminal work "Black Skin, White Masks," analyzing its existential insights and relevance in contemporary discourse.
The podcast covers significant mid-century intellectuals and cultural figures, discussing their contributions to Black existentialist thought. The episodes frequently intertwine philosophical inquiries with thematic elements such as masculinity, violence, visibility, and guilt, as seen in the analysis of works by authors like Richard Wright and filmmakers like Barry Jenkins and Charles Burnett. These discussions probe how these themes manifest in the lived experiences of Black individuals and their representation in literature and film.
Additional episodes extend the conversation to the contributions of influential thinkers like Angela Davis, Ralph Ellison, and Derek Walcott, exploring topics such as liberation, invisibility, the relationship between history and identity, and the struggle against antiblack racism. The episodes show how these thinkers critique existing social structures and envision new possibilities for Black life and identity.
Throughout, the podcast highlights the intersection of existentialist themes with race, particularly how the existential conditions of freedom, despair, and humanism are uniquely experienced and articulated in Black thought. The various discussions emphasize how lived experience, cultural expression, and theoretical critique converge to form a potent commentary on the Black condition, aiming to uncover pathways towards liberation and a reimagining of human existence.
