Ian Buruma at Persuasion argues that if there is a problem with Enlightenment thought, it is not because of its ‘whiteness’, but because of the way claims to universalism have been co-opted in indefensible political-military conquests. This should not make us blind to what was, and remains, valuable about the ideas and culture it has […]
Why the West Isn’t Racist
Ralph Leonard at Unherd points out some important flaws in Kehinde Andrew’s narrative of the Enlightenment as an example of a deeply racist West, or the idea that a form of Pan-Africanism offers a better, more authentic, less tainted-by-the-West strategy: Andrews exhibits a common vice of contemporary radicalism: the idea that to be radical is […]
Laïcité and the Need for a Narrative-in-Common
Recently, DDU supporter and lecturer Marie Kawthar Daouda presented a thoughtful and thought-provoking essay which considers the historical development of Laïcité in legal and philosophical terms. She questions whether Laïcité is as universal as some claim, and if it is capable of providing the resources needed for French society to be able to integrate its […]