Racism: Keys Concepts in Critical Theory

by Leonard Harris (Editor), Ruth Benedict (Contributor), Alain LeRoy Locke (Contributor)

This unique compilation offers full-length readings by historically important and contemporary authors, all of whom share a deep dedication to improving the human condition despite fundamentally different philosophies and moral viewpoints. Leonard Harris has gathered readings that represent the major ways races and racism are explained, including both objectivist (race as a natural or biological distinction) and constructivist (race as a culturally constructed category) approaches. The collection also takes into account what racism means in the differing cultural contexts of America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The contributors include Ruth Benedict, Alain L. Locke, K. Anthony Appiah, Philip Kitcher, Colette Guillaumin, Pierre L. van de Berghe, Albert G. Mosley, and others.

This volume is the essential starting point for any serious discussion of this critical issue.

Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Leonard Harris, Ph.D. (Philosophy, Cornell University, 1974; M.A., Philosophy, Miami University, 1970; B.A., English & Philosophy, Central State University (Wilberforce, OH), 1969), is a professor of philosophy at Purdue University where he has directed the Philosophy and Literature Ph.D. program and the African American Studies and Research Center. Previously, he taught at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he created and directed the Philosophy for Children Center as an affiliate of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children at Montclair State University.

In 1999, Professor Harris received the Alain L. Locke Award from Howard University in recognition of his "pioneering efforts and outstanding contributions to research in Africana Philosophy and Alain Locke Scholarship." 2014 saw the Caribbean Philosophical Association presnet him with the Franz Fanon Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018 he received the Herbert Schneider Award for "Distinguished contributions to the understanding of American Philosophy.”