The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness
This paper considers two conceptual expansions of Du Boisian double consciousness—white double consciousness (Alcoff 2015) and kaleidoscopic consciousness (Medina 2013)—both of which aim to articulate the moral-epistemic potential of cultivating double consciousness from racially dominant or other s...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Michigan Publishing
2024-05-01
|
| Series: | Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy |
| Online Access: | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/5708/ |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850066839559733248 |
|---|---|
| author | Emmalon Davis Orlando Hawkins |
| author_facet | Emmalon Davis Orlando Hawkins |
| author_sort | Emmalon Davis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper considers two conceptual expansions of Du Boisian double consciousness—white double consciousness (Alcoff 2015) and kaleidoscopic consciousness (Medina 2013)—both of which aim to articulate the moral-epistemic potential of cultivating double consciousness from racially dominant or other socially privileged positions. We analyze these concepts and challenge them on the grounds that they lack continuity with their Du Boisian predecessor and face problems of practical feasibility. As we show, these expansions obscure structural barriers that make white double consciousness and kaleidoscopic consciousness unlikely antidotes to the kind of racial domination that double consciousness was introduced to illuminate. We conclude that while more intersectional and pluralistic accounts of double consciousness may be desirable, the project of expansion has moral limits. Identifying these limitations, we outline ways in which double consciousness—as a tool for conceptualizing the genealogy of structural anti-Blackness—remains valuable in the absence of ever-expanding revision. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e45b5162bfe43979bd1f9a017849bb3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2330-4014 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-05-01 |
| publisher | Michigan Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e45b5162bfe43979bd1f9a017849bb32025-08-20T02:48:38ZengMichigan PublishingErgo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy2330-40142024-05-0111010.3998/ergo.5708The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-BlacknessEmmalon Davis0Orlando Hawkins1University of Michigan, Ann ArborUniversity of OregonThis paper considers two conceptual expansions of Du Boisian double consciousness—white double consciousness (Alcoff 2015) and kaleidoscopic consciousness (Medina 2013)—both of which aim to articulate the moral-epistemic potential of cultivating double consciousness from racially dominant or other socially privileged positions. We analyze these concepts and challenge them on the grounds that they lack continuity with their Du Boisian predecessor and face problems of practical feasibility. As we show, these expansions obscure structural barriers that make white double consciousness and kaleidoscopic consciousness unlikely antidotes to the kind of racial domination that double consciousness was introduced to illuminate. We conclude that while more intersectional and pluralistic accounts of double consciousness may be desirable, the project of expansion has moral limits. Identifying these limitations, we outline ways in which double consciousness—as a tool for conceptualizing the genealogy of structural anti-Blackness—remains valuable in the absence of ever-expanding revision.https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/5708/ |
| spellingShingle | Emmalon Davis Orlando Hawkins The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy |
| title | The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness |
| title_full | The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness |
| title_fullStr | The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness |
| title_short | The Future of Double Consciousness: Epistemic Virtue, Identity, and Structural Anti-Blackness |
| title_sort | future of double consciousness epistemic virtue identity and structural anti blackness |
| url | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/5708/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emmalondavis thefutureofdoubleconsciousnessepistemicvirtueidentityandstructuralantiblackness AT orlandohawkins thefutureofdoubleconsciousnessepistemicvirtueidentityandstructuralantiblackness AT emmalondavis futureofdoubleconsciousnessepistemicvirtueidentityandstructuralantiblackness AT orlandohawkins futureofdoubleconsciousnessepistemicvirtueidentityandstructuralantiblackness |