Inter-American Philosophy: Born of Struggle?

Although considered an essential concept in African American philosophy, there have not been many attempts to explain what is a philosophy “born of struggle.” This chapter attempts to make a step towards this task by analyzing when it is appropriate to designate a philosophy born of struggle. First, it shows the shortcomings of trying to rely solely on Leonard Harris’s use of the phrase. In introducing the phrase, Harris was more concerned about providing an example of a philosophy born of struggle than he was about its limits and broader applications. Next, this chapter offers three interpretations of philosophy born of struggle: a broad interpretation that includes all philosophy written from a position of struggle; a narrow interpretation that only includes philosophy written from the African American experience; and a third, intermediate, interpretation which situates various philosophies throughout the Americas as philosophies born of struggle. The chapter makes a case for the third interpretation as a way of challenging dominant conceptions of American philosophy and further initiating discussions between overlapping traditions.