Moral perfectionism, infinite responsibility, and the ethical in critical race theory

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dc.contributorFishel, Stefanie R.
dc.contributorFording, Richard C.
dc.contributorLevine, Daniel J.
dc.contributorOwen, David
dc.contributor.advisorMcKnight, Utz Lars
dc.contributor.authorFletcher, Andrew C.
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Alabama Tuscaloosa
dc.date.accessioned2018-07-11T16:49:40Z
dc.date.available2018-07-11T16:49:40Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.descriptionElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen_US
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation is an investigation into the value of moral perfectionist thought broadly construed as a means of further developing antiracist strategy and theory, especially with regard to facilitating self-originary, antiracist political action by White subjects. To that end, I draw connections between the theoretical contributions of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Stanley Cavell, Michel Foucault, and Emmanuel Levinas regarding ethics and the ethical, and I argue that all four thinkers fall under the broad classification of moral perfectionist thought, albeit with distinct core assumptions and approaches. This dissertation submits moral perfectionist strategies for motivating White subjects to see the ethical harm inflicted upon them by practices of race, despite social, economic, and political inequalities from which they otherwise profit. Race per se represents an ethical harm to White subjects insofar as it denies people of color the status of “other” for whom Whites would otherwise care and accept responsibility; race also limits Whites’ ability to do self-work and obtain their unattained, but attainable, next selves since it restricts who can count as the friend with whom they would otherwise converse (in the Emersonian perfectionist sense) and be constructively challenged. I position above moral perfectionist theorists into conversation with a variety of thinkers from the tradition of critical race theory to flesh out the importance and potential of the new model of ethical subjectivity that I propose.en_US
dc.format.extent230 p.
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.otheru0015_0000001_0002992
dc.identifier.otherFletcher_alatus_0004D_13472
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/3677
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Alabama Libraries
dc.relation.hasversionborn digital
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Electronic Theses and Dissertations
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Libraries Digital Collections
dc.rightsAll rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.en_US
dc.subjectPolitical science
dc.subjectAfrican American studies
dc.subjectEthics
dc.titleMoral perfectionism, infinite responsibility, and the ethical in critical race theoryen_US
dc.typethesis
dc.typetext
etdms.degree.departmentUniversity of Alabama. Department of Political Science
etdms.degree.disciplinePolitical Science
etdms.degree.grantorThe University of Alabama
etdms.degree.leveldoctoral
etdms.degree.namePh.D.

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