Grey or Nothing: Blackness and the Perils of Ontology Without Ethics

This article examines the enduring relevance of Victor Anderson’s Beyond Ontological Blackness: An Essay in Religious and Cultural Criticism. Anderson rightly senses a close connection between the practice of African American cultural criticism and the ethical sensitivity required to do it well. He...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Granby, Clifton L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: 2023
In: Black theology
Year: 2023, Volume: 21, Issue: 1, Pages: 47-61
Further subjects:B Cultural and religious criticism
B ontological blackness
B the grotesque
B Gender
B race and religion
B Nihilism
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This article examines the enduring relevance of Victor Anderson’s Beyond Ontological Blackness: An Essay in Religious and Cultural Criticism. Anderson rightly senses a close connection between the practice of African American cultural criticism and the ethical sensitivity required to do it well. He also recognizes the historical limits of ontological inquiry. I argue that these metaphilosophical assumptions afford more generative encounters with Black political and cultural life, especially its discursive ambiguities and practical incongruities. By engaging the writings of two contemporary critics, Tamura Lomax and Calvin Warren, I show the benefits of thinking alongside Anderson’s important text and the dangers of not doing so. Scholars of religion, African American studies, and cultural studies ignore Anderson’s work and the discourses it enjoins at their own peril.
ISSN:1743-1670
Contains:Enthalten in: Black theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/14769948.2023.2180130