One of the US’s foremost experts on the philosophy of race and gender is set to join the University and help establish Edinburgh as a leader in the field. Tommy J. Curry has been appointed as Professor of Philosophy in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS). Expertise Professor Curry’s areas of expertise include the study of the black male experience, Africana philosophy, xenophobia, and the systems that underpin the rise of right-wing movements in the US and across Europe. He arrives at the University from Texas A&M University. The Philosophy department at the University of Edinburgh expressed a seriousness about the study of racism and Critical Race Theory that is forward looking and dedicated to proactively engaging the problems of difference and inequality confronting humanity in the 21st century. In the United States, Black philosophers are a fraction of professional philosophers in the country. Some say we are slightly less than one per cent of the discipline. To hold a chair in Africana Philosophy and Black Male Studies at the University of Edinburgh really conveys to world-leading universities not only the importance, but the absolute necessity, of theorizing and learning from the centuries long struggles of Blacks and other racialized peoples against colonialism and slavery when attempting to answer the most fundamental of questions posed by various disciplines within the humanities. Professor Tommy J Curry Public intellectual Professor Curry is the author of The Man-Not: Race, Class, Genre, and the Dilemmas of Black Manhood, which won the 2018 American Book Award. He is also the editor of the first book series dedicated to the study of Black males, entitled Black Male Studies: A Series Exploring the Paradoxes of Racially Subjugated Males. His public intellectual work earned him the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy’s Alain Locke Award in 2017. The philosophy of race is still an emerging discipline in the UK. Professor Curry’s appointment is a real step change and statement of intent. His world-class scholarship will make Edinburgh a destination for students wishing to study a subject that is incredibly pressing and relevant for society. Professor Holly BraniganHead of PPLS Related links Study Philosophy at Edinburgh The School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences Publication date 01 Mar, 2019
