Wilderson on Afropessimism
On Monday, November 9th, we had the honor of attending a talk hosted by the Black Studies Department at Duke University, given by Frank B. Wilderson III. Wilderson is an Associate Professor in the Drama Doctoral Program and the African American Studies Program at UC Irvine and is the author of several books including Afropessimism and Incognegro: From Power to Apartheid and Back—A Memoir of Exile. Wilderson, alongside writers like Sadiya Hartman and (on our view) Ta-Nehisi Coates, is among the pioneers of and most prominent thinkers in the Afropessimistic school of thought. Afropessimism is a critical framework that describes the condition of suffering from racism, colonialism, and historical processes of enslavement and its impact on structural conditions as well as personal, “subjective” lived experience and embodied reality.
We understand that Afropessimism is not for everyone. However, we felt like Wilderson dropped quite a few gems that are worthy of deeper exploration. We share those with you below. The quotes are not representative of PAGES’s own views; however, PAGES is a proponent of deep and critical thought. Our hopes are that whether you agree or not with Wilderson’s views, that you at least find them worthy of your engagement and thought. In the least, we think that the list below can prompt some pretty dope discussions. Chew on them.
“The foreclosure to the possibility of becoming human is necessary for blacks.”
“Violence is not threatened by elimination just because it is exposed.”
“Blackness cannot be disimbricated from slavery.”
“There is no such thing as two o’clock, just as there is no such thing as history.”
“The value of a word comes from its opposition.”
“Everybody cannot be a human being.”
“I am anxiety.”
“Is it possible for an unconscious mind to aspire to blackness?”
“Black speech is always incarcerated talking.”
“The idea of narrative is itself anti-black.”
“Blackness doesn’t provide loss.”
