Cornel West is professor of Afro-American studies and philosophy of religion at Harvard University. He is the author of many books, including Keeping Faith, Prophetic Fragments, The Future of the Race (with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.), Breaking Bread (with bell hooks), and the bestselling Race Matters.
In this anthology, Harvard University professor West (Race Matters) presents the best of his writings over the years, showing the development of his career as an academic, public intellectual, and activist. He also takes on the issues of affirmative action, black-brown relations, and black nationalism. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
The grandson of a Baptist minister, West is a professor at Harvard University who has adeptly combined the introspective strengths of the academic philosopher-theologian with the activist and humanist elements of the African-American religious tradition and black nationalist thought. This mammoth collection of social commentary, interviews, essays and memoir details his evolution as a social analyst and public figure, gathering some of his finest work from his previous books (Keeping Faith; Prophetic Fragments; Race Matters, etc.) as well as from a wide range of academic sources. Calling himself "a Chekhovian Christian," West is deeply concerned with the corruption of the dignity of the everyday citizen and the betrayal of the ideals of American democracy through its embrace of racist and sexist beliefs. While the range of his philosophical sermons can occasionally be overwhelming, his eclectic interests and original observations are quite rewarding. Whether he is discussing Marxist theory, slavery, architecture, black sexuality, black-Jewish relations or bebop and rap, his often complex statements yield a continual flood of surprising insights. West is at his most accessible in his interviews with philosopher George Yancy, TV host Bill Moyers and African-American feminist writer bell hooks. This collection amply attests that West's reputation as a brilliant, humane voice in American intellectual discourse is richly deserved. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
