Keeping Faith

by Cornel West

'The sheer range of West's interests and insights is staggering and he appears equally comfortable talking about literature, ethics, art, jurisprudence, religion, and popular-cultural forms.' - Artforum Keeping Faith is a rich, moving and deeply personal collection of essays from one of the leading African American intellectuals of our age. Drawing upon the traditions of Western philosophy and modernity, Cornel West critiques structures of power and oppression as they operate within American society and provides a way of thinking about human dignity and difference afresh. Impressive in its scope, West confidently and deftly explores the politics and philosophy of America, the role of the black intellectual, legal theory and the future of liberal thought, and the fate of African Americans. A celebration of the extraordinary lives of ordinary Americans, Keeping Faith is a petition to hope and a call to faith in the redemptive power of the human spirit.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Politics, Race, History, Cultural, African American

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 1993

About the author

Cornel Ronald West is an American scholar and public intellectual. Formerly at Harvard University, West is currently a professor of Religion at Princeton. West says his intellectual contributions draw from such diverse traditions as the African American Baptist Church, Marxism, pragmatism, transcendentalism, and Anton Chekhov.

Reviews

[Charles Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing and powerful collection of essays from one of this nations leading intellectuals and philosophers. While some essays are dated being written in the 80’s and early 90’s; the overall effect and impact of the book is to illuminate West’s tremendous and courageous analysis of the forces impacting Black cultural, political and economic life. The last chapter, “The African American Rebellion” is a biting yet accurate indictment of Black political and cultural leadership institutions. He holds nothing back and convicts the reader to hold themselves accountable to his notion of Black liberation.
As a white/ Latino reader who experienced in real time many of the transforming events of the civil rights movement - West’s collection is both inspiring in its vision of social and economic liberation for all Americans and, and with the almost 40 years of history since it’s publication, a sense of the work yet to be done.
West’s 21st century interviews and writings prove that his passion and intelligence remain a powerful force for truth.
I will read more of past and current writing.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of essays, and as such there is some unevenness, but West's grappling with liberal, Marxist and poststructuralist thought is extremely rich throughout. West takes ideas and movements seriously, perhaps more so than any other living public intellectual. The concluding essay, "The Paradox of the African American Rebellion," is especially strong and challenging, though not without its own limitations.

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book on race and philosophy.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's taken me a long time to work my way through this collection of essays. They are only essays - and from the 80s and early 90s, to boot - but they are still strikingly rich in content and insight. I grew to like the collection more and more as I went on. The essay, "The Role of Law in Progressive Politics" remains painfully, freshly relevant, like much else in the collection. If some of their programs had been developed into full studies (and perhaps they have by others, and I just don't know) it would be amazing.