Existentialism in Black America
Abstract
Existentialism in popular American culture is undeniable; from the publishing of Walter Lowrie's English translation of Soren Kierkegaard throughout the 1930s and 40s to New Left student protesters of the late 1960s quoting the likes of Sartre and Beauvoir, Americans have been captivated by how existence begets essence in an ever-changing political landscape. Black Americans are often relegated to a footnote in this conversation. Mentions of authors James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Ralph Ellison are present, yet it is often their European counterparts (and Frantz Fanon, who was Black but not American) or later works--meaning the latter half of the 1960s into the 70s-- who take the limelight. This project aims to explore three critical aspects of Black American existential ideas during the early to mid-Civil Rights movement; one, Christian liberation theology as seen in Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited (1949); two, [existential themes in Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) and its connection to Black literary thought]; and three, [yet to be decided, but likely James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son (republished 1957) and its dialogue with Richard Wright's works.] By identifying key existential elements in each work, this paper aims to construct a backbone of existential Black American thought and lay a groundwork for how this "European" philosophy played a role in the development of the Civil Rights movement. Please bear in mind that bracketed information may be subject to change, as this is an ongoing project.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 10:00 AM
Room Number
272
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Research-in-Progress
Presentation Category
Arts and Humanities
Faculty Mentor
Carter Daryl
Existentialism in Black America
272
Existentialism in popular American culture is undeniable; from the publishing of Walter Lowrie's English translation of Soren Kierkegaard throughout the 1930s and 40s to New Left student protesters of the late 1960s quoting the likes of Sartre and Beauvoir, Americans have been captivated by how existence begets essence in an ever-changing political landscape. Black Americans are often relegated to a footnote in this conversation. Mentions of authors James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Ralph Ellison are present, yet it is often their European counterparts (and Frantz Fanon, who was Black but not American) or later works--meaning the latter half of the 1960s into the 70s-- who take the limelight. This project aims to explore three critical aspects of Black American existential ideas during the early to mid-Civil Rights movement; one, Christian liberation theology as seen in Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited (1949); two, [existential themes in Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) and its connection to Black literary thought]; and three, [yet to be decided, but likely James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son (republished 1957) and its dialogue with Richard Wright's works.] By identifying key existential elements in each work, this paper aims to construct a backbone of existential Black American thought and lay a groundwork for how this "European" philosophy played a role in the development of the Civil Rights movement. Please bear in mind that bracketed information may be subject to change, as this is an ongoing project.
