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Black Dignity: The Struggle against Domination
Why Black dignity is the paradigm of all dignity and Black philosophy is the starting point of all philosophy
“A bold attempt to determine the conditions of—and the means for achieving—racial justice.”— Kirkus Reviews
This radical work by one of the leading young scholars of Black thought delineates a new concept of Black dignity, yet one with a long history in Black writing and action. Previously in the West, dignity has been seen in two as something inherent in one’s station in life, whether acquired or conferred by birth; or more recently as an essential condition and right common to all of humanity.
In what might be called a work of observational philosophy—an effort to describe the philosophy underlying the Black Lives Matter movement—Vincent W. Lloyd defines dignity as something performative, not an essential quality but an struggle against domination. Without struggle, there is no dignity. He defines anti-Blackness as an inescapable condition of American life, and the slave’s struggle against the master as the “primal scene” of domination and resistance. Exploring the way Black writers such as Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, and Audre Lorde have dealt with themes such as Black rage, Black love, and Black magic, Lloyd posits that Black dignity is the paradigm of all dignity and, more audaciously, that Black philosophy is the starting point of all philosophy.
“A bold attempt to determine the conditions of—and the means for achieving—racial justice.”— Kirkus Reviews
This radical work by one of the leading young scholars of Black thought delineates a new concept of Black dignity, yet one with a long history in Black writing and action. Previously in the West, dignity has been seen in two as something inherent in one’s station in life, whether acquired or conferred by birth; or more recently as an essential condition and right common to all of humanity.
In what might be called a work of observational philosophy—an effort to describe the philosophy underlying the Black Lives Matter movement—Vincent W. Lloyd defines dignity as something performative, not an essential quality but an struggle against domination. Without struggle, there is no dignity. He defines anti-Blackness as an inescapable condition of American life, and the slave’s struggle against the master as the “primal scene” of domination and resistance. Exploring the way Black writers such as Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, and Audre Lorde have dealt with themes such as Black rage, Black love, and Black magic, Lloyd posits that Black dignity is the paradigm of all dignity and, more audaciously, that Black philosophy is the starting point of all philosophy.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2022
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About the author
Vincent W. Lloyd
18 books3 followersVincent W. Lloyd is associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 10, 2024
4 ⭐️
read this for class!! very insightful and interesting. i loved how the chapters were broken down and the various topics
read this for class!! very insightful and interesting. i loved how the chapters were broken down and the various topics
May 14, 2023
A PhD read. I think it sets up a good philosophical framework, in how we need to view life and its structures through the lens of domination and Black dignity.Very philosophical text, with chapters on various manifestations of Black dignity 4.75/5 stars
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews