My annotated biography is intended to be a representative list of different facets of my ISS journey. I’ve tried to show a diversity of opinions and outlooks within my research, but all have been crucial in my development. Some of the sources, such as Adams and Popper, have reinforced some already existing opinions, while others, such as hooks and Fanon, have greatly expanded my understanding of the baleful effects of colonialism and patriarchy. I am grateful to all of these thinkers.
Adams, Carol J. Neither Man Nor Beast: Feminism and the Defense of Animals.
Bloomsbury, 2018.
Adams’s work is a study of the interconnection of feminism and animal rights, and how the prevalent attitudes of Western patriarchy have led to the oppression of and violence toward both women and animals. Adams’s work also argues that a connection exists between meat-eating and animal experimentation, capitalism, and racism, such as how the dominant hierarchy sees poor, non-white people and animals as commodities to be exploited. Adams argues the natural world has been devalued, and only an assertion of appreciation for it as intrinsically valuable will take our species off this dangerous trajectory.
As a vegan and a feminist, I agree wholeheartedly with all of Adams’s assertions. Not only does she write beautifully, but her powerful case demonstrates the connection of structural violence, exploitation, and the maintaining of hierarchy. She quotes the renowned feminist thinker bell hooks several places within the text, which is apropos, as Adams’s thought is akin to that of hooks. Adams’s work has helped me to see the connections between animal exploitation and misogynistic violence, and has helped me more fully develop my own thoughts on these issues.
Boggs, Carl. Fascism Old and New: American Politics at the Crossroads.
Routledge, 2018.
Boggs’s work challenges the classic definition of fascism as being overtly state-sponsored and blatantly militarized, as pronounced historical trends in American history suggest that the US is becoming a fascist state, but its fascism is based on corporate power and far-right media manipulation. Boggs’s work surveys the history of fascism, from its beginnings in Italy, it’s political apex in mid-century Germany, and its transmogrification into a uniquely American variety. Boggs argues that the model of fascism reflected in 1930’s and 40’s Italy and Germany is not adequate in analyzing the modern-day American variety of modern-day fascism. Boggs relies on the theories of Antonio Gramsci in evaluating the development of fascism (the book is dedicated to Gramsci’s memory), and uses Gramsci’s intellectual framework in demonstrating the American military-industrial complex’s evolution into a contemporary form of fascism.
Boggs’s work is very valuable, as he negates the rigid, traditional definition of fascism. Dispensing with the notion that the only authentic fascism is that which is closely modeled on the 1930’s European model, Boggs demonstrates that the new American model is far more insidious, as it isn’t necessarily overtly sponsored by the state (although Trump came closer in realizing this), Boggs’s work demonstrates this insidious new brand of fascism is the logical outcome of decades of systemic corporatism, racism, and a biased view of American history. Gramsci’s powerful and insightful thought on capitalist power and cultural hegemony is used by Boggs in evaluating this latest form of fascism, which is beneficial in my development of the keyword “fascism” in my work.
Collins, Patricia Hill. Black Feminist Thought.
Routledge, 2009.
Hill’s volume discusses the difficulties women of color experience as both people of color and women, as the effects of both racism and misogyny are doubly-devasting. Drawing from the classic Black feminist thought of Angela Davis. Audre Lorde, and bell hooks, Collins states that her work was written to empower African-American women, and is intended as a compendium of Black feminism, synthesized by Hill. Hill also reviews cultural manifestations of Black feminist thought, such as blues singing and literature. Collins indicates that the intersection of racism, classism, sexual oppression, and nationalism have coalesced in the United States, leading to a unique nexus of oppression. Hill’s ultimate goal is that of a politics of empowerment for women of color.
Hill’s work is important for several reasons. As a white man, it is both salutary and imperative for me to read of the experiences of women of color through their own words and their own experiences – not through my cultural lens of experience. While I like to think of myself as an anti-racist and anti-misogynist, I am also cognizant that my position within the existing hierarchy suggests that I probably possess large “blind spots” in apprehending systemic racism and patriarchalism. Hill’s work has been a helpful addition to my study of both bell hooks and Audre Lorde, both of whom deal with the devastating effects of racism and patriarchy.
Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth.
Penguin Modern Classics. 2001.
Fanon’s work is a classic of anti-colonialism literature, as well as a psychological study of national culture and the effects on colonialism on the colonized. Fanon works within a Marxist framework in evaluating the baleful effects of colonialism on indigenous peoples, with a special emphasis in the last chapter, “Colonial War and Mental Disorders,” where Fanon demonstrates how imperialists have used brainwashing techniques on colonized populations for exerting control. Fanon’s work is essentially a study of systemic violence inflected on colonized peoples, hence the title. Fanon exhorts his African readers to transcend the European models of both governance and living. A powerful classic which has aged extraordinarily well.
Fanon’s magnum opus is an extraordinary reading experience. His sense of righteous-but-restrained outrage is apparent from the beginning, and in this mode, his synergy of calm erudition and passionate anger makes this work engaging reading. Like many social scientists, Fanon works within a Marxist framework, but there is a sense of (justifiable) pessimism missing from most Marxist works I’ve read. Fanon makes a fascinating observation that there is no inherent national connection between different African countries except through their shared history of colonialism. As with Collins and hooks, Fanon provided a crucial instructional framework which has helped broaden my understanding of the historical and psychological effects of colonialism, racism, and capitalist hegemony. This book has truly changed my life.
Girard, René. The Girard Reader. Edited by James G. Williams
Herder & Herder. 1996.
Girard’s theories on mimetic desire and the concept of the scapegoat mechanism are among the most noteworthy contributions to both social science and theology in the Twentieth Century. In memetic theory, Girard claims that humanity is inherently social, and, accordingly, the desires felt by humans mirror those of other humans, leading to envy. In this connection, the concept of the scapegoat, developed by Girard, is seen as a way for humans to minimize this ubiquitous sense of rivalry, and instead focus the violence generated by mimetic desire on the scapegoat. The scapegoat takes on this burden, which, per Girard’s interpretation, reached its highest exponent in Jesus’s willingness to be crucified.
Like Fanon, Girard evinces a certain pessimism within his work, which I find realistic. Although I don’t share Girard’s theological beliefs, he presents several profound insights which work well in conjunction with other social science theories. His psychological approach on memetic desire and the scapegoat work well with Fanon’s work on colonialism (the memetic desire of colonization among European nations, with the scapegoating of indigenous peoples to remove envy between the colonials). In addition, Girard’s concepts work well within the framework of Orientalism set by Edward Said, much for the same reasons as it does with Fanon.
hooks, bell. feminism is for everybody: passionate politics.
Routledge, 2015.
hooks’s book is intended as a primer for those who are either unaware of or resistant to the tenets of feminism. While hooks covers a diverse range of topics within a feminist framework, such as education, reproductive rights, societal expectations of beauty, parenting, and spirituality, her primary emphasis is on how a change of both heart and perceptions is necessary in escaping the recurring patterns of systemic violence and racism. hooks main thesis is that while many condemn sexism, racism, and abuse, they also condone the systemic apparatus which enables these behaviors.
hooks’s book has produced a profound effect on me, as she helped me to more fully form ideas that I’d already had in a less-developed state. For instance, the patriarchal model of authority, violence, and exploitation has proven to be an existential threat for our planet, via both Climate Change and possible nuclear conflagration. In addition, hooks’s emphasis on disrupting established and/or destructive patterns of behavior slots well with the sociological work of Fanon and Said, as well as the scientific thought of Thomas Kuhn and Arne Naess.
Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
Chicago, 2012.
Kuhn’s masterwork challenges the presumption that science is a constant, gradual process of data accumulation and theory building. Instead, Kuhn sees the scientific method as a process of periodic, spasmodic breakthroughs, followed by periods of gradual sustainment. He emphasizes that scientific method is a process of “puzzle solving,” but indicates that some problems may not qualify as puzzles, such as a cure for cancer or a framework for world peace, because they may very likely not have solutions. Kuhn’s other major theoretic contribution is that of paradigm change (commonly known as a “paradigm shift”), in which a fundamental change occurs within a scientific outlook or discipline. This concept has entered the general vernacular as representing any major shift in consciousness, whether it be scientific, natural, or social.
Kuhn’s book is a clear and engaging exposition of his views on scientific method. Like Popper, Kuhn is a mainstay in the field of philosophy of science, but I believe Kuhn’s work to be more profound than Popper’s (within the realm of science, at least). Kuhn’s work demonstrates three things within the context of social sciences: 1) Paradigm shifts are as much a likelihood in sociology as they are within the hard sciences, as presumptions previously held to be factually correct may indeed be incorrect and discarded, if proven to be factually incorrect. 2) The scientific method is based on puzzle-solving, which also applies to the social sciences. 3) Some social science puzzles may not have a solution.
Naess, Arne. Ecology of Wisdom.
Penguin Modern Classics, 2008.
Naess’s work is a primary source of the Deep Ecology movement, which attempts to frame ecology as a fundamental shift of attitudes and lifestyle, and not merely recycling and a reduction of waste. Drawing upon the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza and the non-violent activism of Mohandas Gandhi, as well as Buddhism, Naess’s argues that nature, animals, and wild spaces have intrinsic value. Naess believes that only a life modelled on a joyful embrace of nature can alter humanity’s course from its current destructive trajectory.
Naess writes beautifully, and with his embrace of non-violent activism and a career in mountaineering well into his eighties, he remains an influential and admirable person for me. His concept of Deep Ecology is redolent of Kuhn’s concept of paradigm shift, as Naess indicates that only fundamental societal changes will remedy the current environmental crisis. In addition, Naess’s emphasis on the intrinsic value of animals echoes Carol Adams’s work, and his rejection of the capitalist model is reminiscent of Fanon.
Popper, Karl. The Open Society and Its Enemies.
Routledge, 2002.
Popper’s greatest work of political science is a masterful evaluation of authoritarian thinkers throughout his history, from Plato to Hegel and Marx (although he retains a qualified admiration for Marx’s thought, he has nothing but contempt for Hegel). Popper rejects the authoritarian classicism of Plato’s Republic, which advocates the “Noble Lie” of religious and political subjugation of the masses, as well as the pseudo-scientific historicism of Hegel and Marx. Popper emphasizes that historicism is a characteristic shared by both Communism and fascism. Popper argues forcefully for Western liberal values, with an emphasis on liberalism’s openness and capacity for adaptive change.
Popper’s political thought has had far more influence on my thinking than his scientific work. Although his concept of scientific falsification is valuable, it also, in my opinion, has pronounced limitations, and has been transcended by the scientific thought of Thomas Kuhn. However, Popper’s political thought remains supremely valuable, as he is a forceful advocate of both openness and anti-authoritarianism. I can also appreciate his admiration for Marx’s thought, but his disdain for nominally Marxist totalitarian governments. Popper’s thought works well in conjunction with Boggs’s work on fascism.
Said, Edward. Orientalism.
Penguin Modern Classics, 2003.
Said’s classic work on Western views of Eastern cultures (especially those of the Middle East) shows Europeans having long viewed Eastern cultures through a cultural lens of “the Other.” Said details at length how Western cultural depictions of the Middle East and Central Asia tend to veer towards caricature, leading to a conception of exoticism and decadence on one hand, and hostility on the other. In both cases, Orientalism is inherently racist in its idealization of the East’s perceived exoticism, as well as it’s conception of the East as violent and uncivilized.
Said’s erudition and limpid writing style is impressive. His conceptualization of Orientalism is strikingly accurate and prescient, as it continues to manifest itself in movie caricatures of Middle Easterners, continued political hostility towards Muslims in some quarters (such as Trump’s travel ban), and a continued agenda to impose Western values on the Middle East (such as the US misadventure in Iraq). Said’s thought works well in conjunction with Fanon’s anti-imperialism, as well as hooks’s and Collins’s anti-racism.
My hope is that this research will help facilitate a career in academia or as a counselor. I am especially interested in developing a career in working with expatriate Middle Eastern and Central Asian communities within the United States, as well as either a concurrent or later career as a teacher or instructor in academia. My hope is that the resources listed above will help solidify my effectiveness in these capacities, if I am fortunate enough to serve in these capacities.