Feminist and Anti-Racist Philosophies of Freedom
Full Tuition: $300 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Dahiya | 5-weeks | Thursdays | October 12 - November 9 | 8:00 - 10:00 PM ET | ONLINE
In her 1970 Lectures on Liberation, Angela Davis describes an "acute paradox" of Western society: its philosophy claims to value freedom, while its "concrete reality has always been permeated by the most brutal forms of unfreedom, of enslavement." Why do Western ideas of freedom depend on domination as their conceptual foil? What are the philosophical and political consequences of a framework of freedom that is rooted in property and ownership? Furthermore, how might our everyday idea of freedom be defined by what Ta-Nehisi Coates calls “white freedom”—a “freedom without consequence, freedom without criticism, freedom to be proud and ignorant; freedom to profit off a people in one moment and abandon them in the next; a Stand Your Ground freedom, freedom without responsibility”? In this class, we will begin by examining how the concept of “freedom” has been traditionally conceived in the dominant philosophical and political tradition of Western thought. We will begin here in order to ask ourselves if all people and bodies can be free in this conception of freedom. Over five weeks, we will study and discuss feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial thinkers and political movements that both challenge and reimagine the concept of freedom itself and how it is practiced in political and social movements.
Classes are recorded to allow for students to participate asynchronously. If you want to take a class but cannot make the class time, sign up for the asynchronous audit option to follow along on your own. Recordings are password protected and will only be available for the duration of the class and two weeks after it ends.
—
Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class, and one full scholarship per person per term. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out or you would like to pay tuition on an installment basis, please email us directly, and we will work with you.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, please email us and we will reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After that point, we are able to offer 50% refunds.