On Black Women, ‘In Defense of Transracialism,’ and Imperial Harm
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Date
2019
Authors
Russell, Camisha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Hypatia
Abstract
This essay is a response to the events surrounding Hypatia's publication of “In Defense of Transracialism.” It does not take up the question of “transracialism” itself, but rather attempts to shed light both on what some black women may have experienced following from the publication of the article and on how we might understand this experience as harm. It also suggests one way for feminist journals to reduce the likelihood of similar harms occurring in the future. I begin by describing a discussion that occurred in my classroom that bears some resemblance to the much larger debate that emerged around Hypatia. Next, I elaborate a concept of imperial harm. I then address how this concept comes to be relevant to the experience of black women within the discipline of philosophy in general, before briefly describing how academic feminism (including feminist philosophy) has served as a particular site of imperial harm for black women. Finally, touching on the idea of expressive harm, I conclude with an appeal for the adoption of more feminist publication ethics.
Description
33 pages
Keywords
Hypatia, transracialism, epistemic harm
Citation
Russell, C. (2019). On Black Women, “In Defense of Transracialism,” and Imperial Harm. Hypatia, 34(2), 176-194. doi:10.1111/hypa.12470