PhilosophyForry and Micken Lecture Series - Myisha Cherry

Myisha Cherry, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of California - Riverside presented a lecture on "The Misuses of Anger: Audre Lorde, Self-Hatred, and the Anger it Fuels" on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Pruyne Lecture Hall, Fayerweather.

Abstract: In this talk I consider and examine Audre Lorde’s account of and recommendations for dealing with self-hatred and anger. Instead of viewing Lorde’s solution as anger management, I read it as a form of self-empowerment that is a politically efficacious tool rather than an individualized self-help solution. I also think of ways in which anger born out of self-hatred might co-exist with anti-racist anger – yet make it incomplete and less powerful. Overall, I hope to show how Lorde’s thinking on anger, as well as other emotions such as hate, disgust, and contempt is much more complex than philosophers have assumed. I also demonstrate that Lorde offers increasing insights for thinking about the affective ways that oppression works, and provides various affective resources to resist such oppression in order for agents to thrive on their own terms.