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 and identity • Race, culture, and colonialism • Masculinity and vulnerability • Resistance and liberation • Antiblackness and invisibility • Films and literature analysisThis podcast explores the intellectual movement of Black existentialism, focusing on its impact on literature, philosophy, and film through the lens of Black Atlantic thinkers. Central to the podcast is Frantz Fanon's seminal work "Black Skin, White Masks," which serves as a keystone for understanding how existentialism addresses the lived experiences of Black individuals amidst racial and cultural complexities. The episodes delve into themes such as masculinity, race, violence, and identity by discussing various works of film and literature. Through films like Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight" and Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep," the podcast investigates how touch, vulnerability, and societal pessimism inform understandings of Black masculinity and identity.
Key existential themes are further explored through the works of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, and more, examining concepts of visibility, death, race, and guilt. The podcast also addresses the philosophical underpinnings of Black identity, often contrasting Western existential ideas with those emerging from the Black diaspora, as seen in discussions on Aimé Césaire and Jean-Paul Sartre.
The podcast is particularly interested in the intersections of culture, race, and identity, as it considers the revolutionary potential of Black consciousness and the importance of cultural struggle as a form of political engagement. Through the insights of thinkers like W.E.B. Du Bois and Derek Walcott, the podcast sheds light on the complexities of Black identity in relation to history, colonization, and artistic expression. Overall, this podcast offers an in-depth examination of how existential themes manifest within the Black experience, highlighting the powerful interplay of race, culture, and existential thought.
