Afropessimism

This critical review by Gloria Wekker interrogates Frank B. Wilderson III’s Afropessimism, a hybrid of memoir and theory arguing that Black social death is foundational to human life. While acknowledging the compelling narrative and unique male perspective, Wekker critiques the book’s theoretical claims, particularly its rejection of intersectionality and its portrayal of Black suffering as singular and incomparable. She challenges the lack of historical and global context, noting the erasure of broader Black intellectual traditions and solidarity across oppressed groups. Wekker contends that Afropessimism 2.0 fosters hopelessness, essentialism, and an exclusionary stance that undermines political action and transnational alliances. Drawing from Black feminist and intersectional frameworks, especially rooted in Dutch Black, migrant, and refugee feminist history, she calls for a more inclusive, complex understanding of antiracist struggle. Ultimately, Wekker finds Wilderson’s theoretical propositions intellectually careless, politically inert, and disconnected from the transformative work of solidarity and collective resistance.