ABOUT THE EPISODE
In this episode, we dig deep into afro-pessimism and whether or not we take it seriously an ideology, practice, framework, and meta-logic. And we question... is Candace Owens an afro-pessimist, but for evil?
WHAT IS AFRO-PESSIMISM?
Afro-pessimism, a meta-theoretical framework, offers a multifaceted lens through which to comprehend the persistent effects of racism, colonialism, and historical enslavement on African Americans within the United States. Within this framework, the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade is examined not only as a historical event but also as a foundational structure that continues to shape contemporary societal dynamics. Afro-pessimism acknowledges the pervasive nature of anti-blackness as a form of systemic, psychic, racial, and economic oppression, probing into the intricate interplay between structural conditions and individual subjectivities.
RUN OF SHOW
(00:00) Intro
(04:14) READING | The Vengeance of Vertigo: Aphasia and Abjection in the Political Trials of Black Insurgents from this Afropessmist collection or found separately here
(05:05) What is the Libidinal Economy
(06:52) Definitions of Common Afropessimism Terms
(07:47) READING | “Afropessimism’s Radical Abdication” by Loic Wacquant on the New Left Review
(14:20) READING | Afropessimism, A Memoir by Frank B. Wilderson III + Processing a Wildersonian POV and Afropessimism
(16:06) Ask Philosophy Reddit Post on Afropessimism
(21:51) Points of Contact with Colonization and Anti-Blackness
(25:55) "The stranger" as a slave by Saidiya Hartman in Lose Your Mother
(27:15) What are the qualities of Afropessimism?
(30:48) READING | Lose Your Mother by Saidiya Hartman
(34:58) Reflections on Lose Your Mother by Saidiya Hartman
(36:58) What are critiques of Afropessimism?
(46:18) Is Prince an Afropessimist?
(49:43) Recap + Anti-Blackness in the Philippines
(52:26) Opposing Afropessimism with Critical Fabulation
(54:40) Context about Russian Nihilist subculture and writing
(55:11) Closing Notes on Afropessimism and more
SHOW NOTES
Incognegro by Frank B Wilderson III
Lose Your Mother by Saidiya Hartman
“We’re Trying to Destroy the World”– Anti-Blackness and Police Violence After Ferguson, An Interview W/ Frank B. Wilderson III
Afropessimism by Frank B Wilderson III
ON... LIBIDINAL ECONOMY: EPISODE NOTE: Libidinal economy is better defined as the exchange and accumulation of fantasy, phobia, and clout, conscious or unconscious, in the minds of all. It can be described as the arena of desire and power and I highly recommend further reading can start here!
The Triple Threat of Black Thought
MUSIC IN EPISODE
Afro-Pessimism... Stagnation or Liberation?