Charles Peterson

This chapter will extend Chap. 2’s analysis of the articulations of “Man”/Citizen within African-American theory and praxis. The chapter argues that a tradition of independent constructions of citizenship exists within African-American political theory and activism; this tradition locates Man/Citizen beyond the contradictory formulation of the European Enlightenment model. It is a tradition that is central to the articulation of social nullification within African-American political theory and praxis. The historical investigations of Elsa Barkley Brown and Thom C. Holt on the ways that freed people rearticulated hegemonic formulations of freedom, representative government, and democracy are employed as conceptual lenses for the chapter. Through these frames, it examines the writings of Martin Delany, the political organizing of Ida B. Wells, and the reparations movement as examples of social nullification. These examples illustrate the presence of social nullification, in varied forms, as part of the history and the present of African-American social-political expression.

This chapter will argue a sampling of the grounds on which the social contract has been broken by the United States and the factors that justify the invocation of social nullification. Brent T. White, Simone M. Sepe, and Saura Masconale in “Urban Decay, Austerity, and the Rule of Law” argue, as Chap. 3 argued, austerity policies in urban centers undermine the maintenance of infrastructure. Although regularly argued as hampering economic development, White and his coauthors assert that the larger effects are the subversion of the rule of law, the dismissal of state’s obligation to the well-being of its citizens, and the citizen’s loss of commitment to the governing apparatus, all foundations of the social contract. The authors state, “When urban decay sets in individuals are led to believe that the government and thus citizens as a collective have abandoned their commitments to following the basic rules governing the social contract.” The state’s commitment to its citizens can be measured in specific areas. The chapter will take up this argument and examine the categories of economic development, political access, healthcare, and criminal justice as indices for determining the degree of African-American socio-political-economic access and treatment and for measuring the state’s adherence to the social contract.

This chapter, the conclusion to Social Nullification and African-American Citizenship, is a summary of the concerns that lead to the formulation of the idea of social nullification. Birthed in the midst of the struggle against police violence in African-American communities, the chapter defines the central ideas in the monograph and explores the dynamic of the failure of citizenship as a category for Black people and the exploration of Black people thinking of themselves beyond the terms of that category.

This chapter will examine the philosophical roots of social contract theory from its Platonic origins to its appearance in the writings of the Modern philosophers, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke, who articulate the fundamental conceptual premises and elements of Modern social contract theory.Relevant to this exploration will be the interventions of Sylvia Wynter and her interrogation of the sociogenic conditions of the concept of “Man”-cum-citizen and the investigations of Charles Mills in his work on the inherent white supremacist formulations of Western social contract theory.

This chapter will articulate social nullification as theory. Legal theorist Paul Butler’s reading of “jury nullification” in the context of African-American racial critique is foundational to my conception of social nullification level. Butler argues that African-American jurors critically interrogate of the US criminal justice system, viewing it as an inherently racist system, and based on this analysis, they create alternative systems of value by which they implement their ideas of justice. They thereby subvert the dominant (white supremacist) values of the criminal justice system as they are imposed upon African-American defendants. This chapter argues this space of critical engagement reveals that the US state has a legitimacy crisis in the eyes of the African-American population and that social nullification theory demonstrates that US civil culture, which is inherently white supremacist, suggests that nullification, on a societal scale, provides a new way forward.

This chapter is an overview of the concept of the “citizen” as it came to be understood in Western Enlightenment thought and its application to the conditions of African-descended peoples in the United States. Positioning the conditions of African-American citizenship as a defining category of American democracy, its realization or lack thereof signifies the civic integrity of the state. The chapter presents social nullification as the failure of the state to apply citizenship to African-American constituents and the African-American response to these failings and as the central theme of the book.

The museum of the colonial moment fused the expansion of knowledge and global contact of North Atlantic powers with the aggressive nationalist pride of their hegemonic positions, building national, cultural, and racial identity through framing. How does Black Panther use the museum scene to illustrate a fear of Black museums and the problems of existence observed through the philosophies of Black existentialism and Africana phenomenology? Killmonger's questioning of Wakanda reveals the truth and effect of Wakanda's isolationist history. Yet, Wakanda is nevertheless shown as a representation of African history, not just in the tribal nature of Wakanda's social structure or in the clothing and physical adornments and jewelry, but also in the rituals and spirituality.

Introductions and Histories: How, When, and Where of Race in Philosophy Africana Philosophy has successfully argued itself to be an important area of philosophical discourse. Fundamental to this effort is Africana Philosophy's work to bring race, race thinking, and racism to the fore of philosophical examination. In the wake of Africana Philosophy's influence, discussions of race, race thinking, and racism are becoming central to regular philosophical discourse. The production of introductory works on race and philosophy and works examining the place of race and race thinking in the history of European canonical philosophy points to philosophy's growing self awareness of race as foundational to what philosophy as a body of knowledge is and its self awareness of how race and race thinking informed the development of the field. These types of texts contribute to the normalization of race as a subfield of philosophy. Specifically, this essay will analyze four contemporary texts that exemplify this trend and what they contribute to mainstream philosophy's evolution as a site that understands race and race's role as a part of human experience and a necessary part of the larger philosophical project