GOVT 86.62 Black Conservatism in Context: An Intellectual History
This interdisciplinary class examines the political, philosophical, and cultural commitments of modern conservatism, with a culminating focus on the ideas and interventions of African American thinkers. The first half of the course traces the intellectual development of conservatism as a tradition, beginning with classical and Christian sources such as Cicero and Augustine, moving through Edmund Burke and nineteenth-century debates, and extending into the twentieth century with figures like William F. Buckley. After establishing this broad historical and philosophical foundation, we will turn to Black American thinkers ranging from Booker T. Washington, Zora Neale Hurston, Malcolm X, and Thomas Sowell to Clarence Thomas, Shelby Steele, Star Parker, and Candice Owens—who variously engage, appropriate, and revise conservative ideas. Along the way, we will examine the diverse philosophies they affirmed or advanced, including moral traditionalism, uplift doctrines, religious conservatism, Black nationalism, Cold War anticommunism, neoliberalism, and MAGA Republicanism.
We will also engage critics of black conservatism, from African American centrists and progressives to pessimists, socialists, radicals, and feminists, to place these debates within the broader history of black political thought. Throughout the course, we will ask: What is conservatism? Why are some black Americans drawn to it while others vehemently oppose it? What are the politics of “selling out”? Do the principles of black conservatives differ from those of white conservatives? And finally, what can black conservatism teach us about the present and future of U.S. politics? This course neither endorses nor dismisses black conservatism; instead, it seeks to understand its arguments, contexts, and growing influence in American political life.
Department-Specific Course Categories
Government