Cornel West | Biography, Philosophy, Politics, & Facts

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class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cornel-West/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Cornel-West">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/philosophy-101"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/42/163042-131-6AC5D943/greeting-guests-Agathon-canvas-oil-Platos-Symposium-1869.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Agathon (centre) greeting guests in Plato's Symposium, oil on canvas by Anselm Feuerbach, 1869; in the Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body 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His subject areas include philosophy, law, social science, politics, political theory, and religion.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Brian Duignan</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-31T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 31, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cornel-West/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>June 2, 1953, <a href="/place/Tulsa">Tulsa</a>, <a href="/place/Oklahoma-state">Oklahoma</a>, U.S. (age 71)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Works: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Race-Matters">“Race Matters”</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Cornel-West"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/640014/bf087a9fe2d8f0dfab326bd2078bfa6d" rel="nofollow">Cornel West loses Supreme Court bid to get on the Pennsylvania presidential ballot</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Oct. 31, 2024, 6:22 PM ET (AP) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/640014/56e8ad5fcdc16bf7799212750a752540" rel="nofollow">Democrats go after Jill Stein, Cornel West in digital ads aimed at young voters</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Oct. 28, 2024, 9:20 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref281641"></span>Cornel West</strong> (born June 2, 1953, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tulsa" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Tulsa</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Oklahoma-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Oklahoma</a>, U.S.) is an American philosopher, scholar of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/African-American" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">African American</a> studies, and political activist. His influential book <em><span id="ref281642"></span>Race Matters</em> (1993) <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="lamented" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/lamented" data-type="EB">lamented</a> what he saw as the spiritual impoverishment of the African American underclass and critically examined the “crisis” of Black leadership in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">West’s father was a civilian U.S. Air Force administrator and his mother an elementary school teacher and eventually a principal. During West’s childhood the family settled in an African American working-class neighbourhood in Sacramento, California. There West regularly attended services at the local Baptist church, where he listened to moving testimonials of privation, struggle, and faith from parishioners whose grandparents had been slaves. Another influence on West during this time was the <span id="ref809921"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Black Panther Party</a>, whose Sacramento offices were near the church he attended. The Panthers impressed upon him the importance of political activism at the local level and introduced him to the writings of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Marx" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Karl Marx</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1970, at age 17, West entered <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harvard-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Harvard University</a> on a scholarship. He graduated magna <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="cum laude" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/cum laude" data-type="EB">cum laude</a> three years later with a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bachelors-degree" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">bachelor’s degree</a> in Middle Eastern languages and literature. He attended graduate school in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosophy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">philosophy</a> at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Princeton-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Princeton University</a>, where he was influenced by the American pragmatist philosopher <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Rorty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Richard Rorty</a>. (West briefly abandoned work on his dissertation to write a novel, which was never published.) After receiving his doctoral degree in 1980, West taught philosophy, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/religion" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">religion</a>, and African American studies at several colleges and universities, including Union Theological Seminary, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yale-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yale University</a> (including the Yale Divinity School), the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Universities-of-Paris-I-XIII" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">University of Paris</a>, Princeton University, and <span id="ref809922"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harvard-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Harvard University</a>, where he was appointed Alphonse Fletcher, Jr., University Professor in 1998. He returned to Princeton in 2002 as Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/philosophy-101" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/42/163042-131-6AC5D943/greeting-guests-Agathon-canvas-oil-Platos-Symposium-1869.jpg" alt="Agathon (centre) greeting guests in Plato's Symposium, oil on canvas by Anselm Feuerbach, 1869; in the Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Philosophy 101</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">West’s work was characteristically wide-ranging, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="eclectic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eclectic" data-type="MW">eclectic</a>, original, and provocative. His several books analyzing issues of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/race-human" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">race</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-class" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">class</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/justice-social-concept" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">justice</a> or tracing the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-philosophy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">history of philosophy</a> typically combined a political perspective based on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/democratic-socialism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">democratic socialism</a>, a Christian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="moral" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral" data-type="MW">moral</a> sensibility, and a philosophical orientation informed by the tradition of American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/pragmatism-philosophy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pragmatism</a>. His best-known work, <em>Race Matters</em>, a collection of essays, was published exactly one year after the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Los-Angeles-Riots-of-1992" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Los Angeles Riots of 1992</a>, which were sparked by the acquittal of four white policemen on charges of aggravated assault in the beating of Rodney King, an African American motorist. The book discussed the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="pervasive" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pervasive" data-type="MW">pervasive</a> despair and “nihilism” of African Americans in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/poverty" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">poverty</a> and criticized African American leaders for pursuing strategies that West believed were shortsighted, narrow-minded, or self-serving. West also considered issues such as Black-<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Judaism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jewish</a> relations, the renewed popularity of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Malcolm-X" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Malcolm X</a>, and the significance of the Los Angeles Riots themselves.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">West was always a political activist as well as an academic, and he did not hesitate to participate in demonstrations or to lend his name or presence to causes he felt were just. At times his activism created tensions with the administrations of the universities where he taught. In 2001 the new Harvard University president, <span id="ref1228852"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lawrence-H-Summers" class="md-crosslink ">Lawrence Summers</a>, reportedly <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="admonished" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonished" data-type="MW">admonished</a> West in private for devoting too much time to political activity and other extracurricular pursuits. Their dispute was soon joined by supporters and detractors of West both inside and outside the academy, who debated not only the merits of West’s scholarship but also the commitment of Summers and Harvard to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/affirmative-action" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">affirmative action</a> programs. Eventually West resigned his position at Harvard and moved to Princeton.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In June 2023 West announced his bid to become the nominee of the progressive People’s Party in the <span id="ref1319690"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-2024" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United States presidential election of 2024</a>. Soon thereafter he switched his affiliation to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Party-political-party-Ireland" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Green Party</a>, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="citing" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/citing" data-type="EB">citing</a> in interviews the party’s much greater ballot access, including in some key battleground states. In October he declared that he was no longer seeking the Green Party’s nomination and would run as an independent candidate instead.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">West’s other works include <em>The American Evasion of Philosophy: A Genealogy of Pragmatism</em> (1989), <em>The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought</em> (1991), <em>Beyond Eurocentrism and Multiculturalism</em> (1993), <em>Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism</em> (2004), and (with David Ritz) <em>Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud: A Memoir</em> (2009). He recorded a hip-hop-like spoken-word album, <em>Sketches of My Culture</em> (2001), and a collection of spoken-word and music, <em>Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations</em> (2007). In 2003 he appeared as the character Councillor West in the popular movies <em>The Matrix Reloaded</em> and <em>The Matrix Revolutions</em>.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/Brian-Duignan/6469">Brian Duignan</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":640014,"pageLength":721,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Cornel West | Biography, Philosophy, Politics, & Facts | Britannica