Women of Color and Philosophy: A Critical Reader

Naomi Zack (author/editor of such significant philosophical works as Philosophy of Science and Race, Thinking About Race, and Race and Mixed Race) has assembled an exceptional collection of essays by women of color, which includes essays by such distinguished female philosophers as Joy James, Adrian M.S. Piper, Anita Allen, and others, as well as an interview with Angela Davis. Some of the essays are, "'Discredited Knowledge' in the nonfiction of Toni Morrison," "Interracial Marriage: Folk Ethics in Contemporary Philosophy," and "Asian Women: Invisibility, Locations, and Claims to Philosophy." The breadth and depth of subject matter covered is great. In Naomi Zack's Introduction, she notes, "being a philosopher and a woman of color is an unlikely event. The current membership of the American Philosophical Association is approximately 10,000. For several years, it has been estimated that African-Americans comprise a little over 1 percent of that membership. The number of women in academic philosophy is commonly believed to be less than 10 percent of the APA population, although the number of women awarded Ph.D.s in philosophy has been increasing in recent years ... My most liberal estimate of the number of women in color who are presently employed as philosophers would be thirty (out of 10,000)." Sadly, she observes, "As of now, there is no tradition or body of work that could be called the work of women of color in philosophy." Many poignant passages are found throughout this book: e.g., Among the problems faced by nonwhite women in philosophy is "the absence of assistance, and the lack of sympathy to be expected from white or male colleagues (though, thank goodness, not all are this clueless!) After raising the issue of racism among her students at a faculty meeting, (Patricia) Williams reports: 'I was told by a white professor that "we" should be able to break the anxiety by just laughing about it.' Another nodded in agreement and added that, 'The key is not to take this thing too seriously.'" This is a very important collection, that should be read by anyone interested in philosophy, ethnic studies, African-American or Africana philosophy, women's studies, or life in general. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!