Black Enlightenment

Surya Parekh's Black Enlightenment reimagines the Enlightenment from the perspective of Black subjects, challenging common understandings of the period and highlighting the importance of Black Enlightenment thought.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 22 September 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

Surya Parekh reimagines the Enlightenment from the perspective of the Black subject, delving into the works of Black writers such as Francis Williams, Ignatius Sancho, and Phillis Wheatley. By juxtaposing these authors with their white European contemporaries, David Hume and Immanuel Kant, Parekh challenges conventional notions of the Enlightenment that limited the existence of Black subjects to mere negation. Through his analysis, Parekh highlights the racial tensions present in the writings of Hume, Kant, and others, emphasizing the significance of Black Enlightenment thought. He also prompts us to reflect on the relevance of reading these authors, who became "free" in a society that sought to suppress their freedom.

In his book, Black Enlightenment, Surya Parekh explores the Enlightenment from the perspective of the Black subject, examining the works of Black writers such as Francis Williams, Ignatius Sancho, and Phillis Wheatley alongside their white European contemporaries, David Hume and Immanuel Kant. By rethinking the Enlightenment and its canons, Parekh challenges the notion that Black subjects could only exist in negation to white subjects. Through his analysis, Parekh highlights the racial tensions present in the writings of Hume, Kant, and others, emphasizing the significance of Black Enlightenment thought. He also prompts us to reflect on the relevance of reading these authors, who became "free" in a society that sought to suppress their freedom.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478020264