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The existence of Eurocentric patriarchal society relies on the creation of the “other”. Misinterpretation of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution led scientists to use biology as the basis for this concept. People of color, thought to be primitive and savage, were placed on the evolutionary chart between apes and “civilized” white men. This introduced a theory of race as a biological difference. The pathologization of newly racialized bodies fed into the burgeoning science of sexology. In her article “Scientific Racism and the Emergence of the Homosexual Body,” Siobhan Somerville argues that “categories of race and sexuality were not only historically coincident but in fact structurally interdependent and perhaps mutually productive” (246). I will use the work of Flower and Murie, Weininger, and Ellis to demonstrate how science and biology were used to sexualize and racialize bodies in order to establish “otherness,” maintaining a racist, heteronormative, misogynistic rigid definition of normalcy, as well as how this affects our modern day understanding of oppression. . . . → Read More: Race, Sex, and Degeneracy

The study of sexology has come a long way. In early sexological thinking gender and sex were conflated, which led to an oversimplification of variant identities. Through this class, I learned of the groundbreaking language given to us by the science of sexology. As an individual who built her identity around words, the reflective dependence of the public and the medical industry is fascinating to me. There is a dominant narrative in the transgender community of being in the wrong body that I believe is linked to this dependence. Contemporary analysis and medical treatment of transgender individuals interested in medical intervention relies on this dominant narrative to force simplicity onto a community that is extraordinarily complex. I intend to investigate the origins of the “wrong body” narrative and analyze the codependence of the transgender and medical communities to better understand contemporary gender. . . . → Read More: Transgenderism and the Wrong Body Narrative

I cannot write about freedom and humanity in an objective way; no one can. More importantly, I choose not to answer the question posed in a simple and straightforward way because I cannot pretend that this book is nothing more to me than fodder for a final examination. After reading Existentia Africana, I am different. Yes, every word I read and every interaction I have impacts me. But this is special. I am not just different, I am better. I must admit, while finishing the text, I became concerned about my ability to answer this question in a thorough and intelligent manner. Yes, I had to finish the book still. I am smart, but not a genius. This is work for me; work I love, but work nonetheless. I was worried until I read the final chapter: a chapter about words. . . . → Read More: The Magic of Words

Instead, when faced with the most difficult and horrible of decisions (which none of us really ever wants to face), we must be simultaneously blessed and cursed with the ability to let go of our every hope and dream. We must look the emptiness of that meaningless existence in the eyes and bow down to it, all the while stoking the fire of faith in our bellies, mere embers of hope kept alive by sheer absurdity. We must know that all is lost. Because it most definitely is. And every ounce of our being, mind, and spirit is crushed; literally wrung dry. . . . → Read More: Kierkegaard’s Knight of Faith

Imagine this: I invest in the idea that my appearance is who I am. I become a thing, not unlike the things people use to categorize me at their whim. I am nothing more than a collection of objects I use to adorn myself, essentially reducing me to an object. And why stop there? Next, my mind and spirit become receptacles for someone else’s unchallenged ideas—identifying myself with the words other people use to describe me. I rely on my objectifiers to understand who I am. This happens quickly and quietly and often without my knowledge or consent. It starts early, at the well-meaning hands of my parents, and soon becomes something I expect from every person I meet. My appearance sneaks in while I sleep, lays down next to me, and envelopes my body in unshakeable murkiness. It follows me like a shadow, even in the dark, an inescapable presence. . . . → Read More: The Essential Self and Connection to the Collective Whole

I think it is vital that we reinvent the interpretation of the word “education.” In true Socratic form, I think it is necessary to find the truth of this word—its most honest definition. Education is about gaining knowledge, and if we look at our educational system with a critical eye, it is clear that the expansion of knowledge is not its central goal. Socrates would say that knowledge is virtue (Plato 1). Virtue is attributed to general moral excellence. The question then becomes, what is moral excellence? Socrates would likely say that this lies in the discovery of truth, while WEB Du Bois would likely say that truth is only a part of it. He would say that truth should be the aim for thinkers, but not all are made for thinking. Higher education must also serve and better those who are made for working. . . . → Read More: Education and Humanity

Symbolic language is what sets human beings apart from primates. It makes us human. I believe words should be used only to increase this humanity. Words are my world. I love language and its infinite potential. They can invoke laughter, fear, courage, elation, and so much more. Words have enslaved people and set them free. They allow people to express their love, hate, and vision for a better world. Conrad’s words have an impact far beyond stylistic uniqueness. Achebe says, “when a writer, while pretending to record scenes, incidents and their impact, is in reality engaged in inducing hypnotic stupor in his readers through a bombardment of emotive words and other forms of trickery much more is at stake than stylistic felicity” (784). I could not agree more. Conrad may have brought about the movement to modern literature, but his message goes much further. The inclusion of Heart of Darkness in academia gives permission to racism’s existence in literature. It reproduces well-embedded systems of racial hierarchy and makes it much more difficult to dismantle racist systems. It makes plausible deniability even more possible and dulls the critical eye. . . . → Read More: Racism in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

The knight is an extreme character. It is understandable why Kierkegaard himself questioned the knight’s existence. But, I believe in the knight of faith, and I think this knight takes many forms. He can be embodied as Abraham, as a child on a boat with a tiger stranded in the ocean, and as a person with a book armed with imagination and faith. Books can be read and understood from multiple viewpoints. And, while all experiences are valid, the reader of faith undergoes something completely different with fiction—she lives the book. The reader of faith experiences a connection of their spirit with the author’s, living the expression of the author’s connection to God through their art. Of course, this cannot be true of all books. Even though I believe all people have spirit and the capability to share it, not every author chooses to. It is like what Pi says about the agnostic; the doubter may cling to “dry, yeastless factuality…lack imagination and miss the better story” (Martel 64). This is a sad truth for many authors and readers. . . . → Read More: Faith in Fiction