Robert J. McCann

A preponderance of scholarly work on the relationship between Frantz Fanon and Maurice Merleau-Ponty focuses on the body schema and its relationship to the racialized subject. Much less work has focused on the analysis of language between Merleau-Ponty and Fanon. This paper works to rectify the lacuna of work surrounding Fanon’s connection to Merleau-Ponty on language. Specifically, through a utilization of Fanon’s concept of sociogeny coupled with Merleau-Ponty’s analysis of language and the paradox of the horizon, I claim the colonial situation can be phenomenologically broached.

The problem of presidential self-pardoning has made its way into public discourse, especially after Trump’s presidency. Can a President pardon him or herself? This article argues that a President cannot self-pardon. It is hard to see by solely reading the constitution why this is the case, however. To remedy this problem, I invoke H.L.A Hart’s legal philosophy, specifically his concept of the Rule of Recognition. I argue the Rule of Recognition includes the idea that no one is above the law, including the president. To provide evidence for why this is the case, this article turns to a structural reading of the constitution, in which the whole can only be understood through its constituent parts.