Cornel West
Also known as Cornel Ronald West
American philosopher and activist, born 1953; wrote Race Matters.
At a glance
Main ideas
Race, gender and class, Non-Marxist socialism, Nihilism in Black America
See all 3Criticism
Leon Wieseltier, Lawrence Summers
See all 2Books to start with
The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought, Race Matters, Democracy Matters
See all 3Connections
Race Matters and Richard Rorty
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- West is a philosopher, theologian and public intellectual whose work focuses on race, gender and class in American society.
- He has taught at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Union Theological Seminary, where he holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair.
- A socialist, he was honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America and ran as an independent candidate for president in 2024.
- His best-known books are Race Matters (1993) and Democracy Matters (2004).
Why it matters
- He is one of the most widely heard American voices on race, democracy and the left.
Key facts
- Born
- 2 Jun 1953, Tulsa, Oklahoma1
- Education
- BA, Harvard (1973, magna cum laude), Near Eastern languages and civilization; MA and PhD, Princeton, the first African American to earn a Princeton PhD1
- Career
- Union Theological Seminary; Yale from 1984; Princeton from 1988 to 1994; Harvard; Princeton again from 2002; Harvard from 2016 to 2021; Union Theological Seminary from 20211
- Position
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair, Union Theological Seminary1
- Politics
- Honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America; independent candidate for US president in 20241
- Academies
- American Philosophical Society (1997); American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1999)1
- Books
- More than twenty, written or contributed to; an American Book Award1
Main ideas
-
Race, gender and class1
His philosophy centres on their roles in American society.
-
Non-Marxist socialism1
He calls himself a non-Marxist socialist, as he sees Marxism and Christianity as irreconcilable.
-
Nihilism in Black America2
The opening essay of Race Matters.
Criticism
Books to start with
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Connections
Links
Sources
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