This article explores a classical text in the philosophy of recognition-Hegel's discussion of the... more This article explores a classical text in the philosophy of recognition-Hegel's discussion of the dialectic of lordship and bondage in the Phenomenology of Spirit-and its legacy through the lens of Black political and intellectual history. While commentators have typically highlighted emancipatory aspects of the text, we argue, first, that it contains elements that Hegel uses later to partially justify transatlantic slavery (sections 1 and 2). Second, we ask how Black thinkers nevertheless could engage positively with the dialectic of lordship and bondage. We focus on Frantz Fanon's chapter, "The Negro and Hegel," in Black Skin, White Masks (1952) and Angela Davis's Lectures on Liberation (1969). As we argue, both authors rework Hegel's dialectic in ways that undermine its potential for legitimizing slavery, leading to insightful contributions to the philosophy of recognition (sections 3 and 4). We conclude by suggesting that (a) both Fanon's and Davis's discussions suffer from a version of the "paradox of recognition" described by Rogers (2009), for reasons connected to their engagement with Hegel and (b) that both remedy that problem in subsequent work by identifying the community life of oppressed, resistant African and Afrodiasporic people as a crucial social resource (section 5).
This article explores a classical text in the philosophy of recognition-Hegel's discussion of the... more This article explores a classical text in the philosophy of recognition-Hegel's discussion of the dialectic of lordship and bondage in the Phenomenology of Spirit-and its legacy through the lens of Black political and intellectual history. While commentators have typically highlighted emancipatory aspects of the text, we argue, first, that it contains elements that Hegel uses later to partially justify transatlantic slavery (sections 1 and 2). Second, we ask how Black thinkers nevertheless could engage positively with the dialectic of lordship and bondage. We focus on Frantz Fanon's chapter, "The Negro and Hegel," in Black Skin, White Masks (1952) and Angela Davis's Lectures on Liberation (1969). As we argue, both authors rework Hegel's dialectic in ways that undermine its potential for legitimizing slavery, leading to insightful contributions to the philosophy of recognition (sections 3 and 4). We conclude by suggesting that (a) both Fanon's and Davis's discussions suffer from a version of the "paradox of recognition" described by Rogers (2009), for reasons connected to their engagement with Hegel and (b) that both remedy that problem in subsequent work by identifying the community life of oppressed, resistant African and Afrodiasporic people as a crucial social resource (section 5).
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Drafts by Franz Knappik