Papers by Schalk Gerber
Handbook of African Philosophy of Difference - Springer, 2019
The critique of Western metaphysics outlines how the African other has been depicted as not fully... more The critique of Western metaphysics outlines how the African other has been depicted as not fully human in relation to the western subject’s identity. Hence, on an ontological level, the other or difference has been denied or excluded, which accounts for the violence of the colonial logic of conceptualizing African alterity or difference. The challenge of thinking the postcolonial situation in the African context has mostly been how to think liberating difference and alterity outside the violent colonial paradigm constituted by the creation of race as Blackness, the Black man and the fiction of Africa. Hence the problem may be formulated accordingly in the following question: How may a sense of identity be thought that does not deny the existence of the other or difference as fully human? Restated: How may postcolonial African thought avoid constituting the same logic of race as it aims to overcome the colonial logic of alterity? Accordingly, this essay aims to critically engage with the thought of Achille Mbembe and his attempts to address the question. Even though Mbembe attends to the question of essentialism in African imaginations of otherness in On the Postcolony, he largely remains silent in this work on the ethical question of violent contemporary ways of conceptualizing otherness in African thoughts and sociopolitical practices. Therefore, while taking Mbembe’s social ontology that takes existence of difference and how difference constitutes identity (but largely remaining violent) as a point of departure, this essay will, subsequently, argue that in the Critique of Black Reason, one finds a step toward a postcolonial nonviolent notion of alterity based on the recognition of the in-common existence within one world we share, firstly, by outlining Mbembe’s formulation of a non-essentialist African identity that, in turn, opens the way for what we will call here a postcolonial ontology and, secondly, to outline how this ontology reimagines the relation of the universal and particular making it a postcolonial universal ontology.
Debating Otherness with Richard Kearney: Perspectives from South Africa, 2019
What may the thought of Richard Kearney contribute to the challenge of thinking otherness transla... more What may the thought of Richard Kearney contribute to the challenge of thinking otherness translated as decolonisation in the context of South Africa? This chapter will attempt to enter into dialogue with Kearney’s thought, specifically his book Strangers, Gods and Monsters: Interpreting Otherness (2013), to suggest four remarks as a response to the question. In attempting this task, the chapter will firstly outline what a sense of decolonisation might not be by briefly revisiting the critique of Western metaphysics or what I will call the logic of the coloniser. This move, in turn, will allow for a proposal on what a sense of decolonisation might be, with recourse to Kearney’s notion of diacritical hermeneutics or what I shall call a diacritical decolonisation. Accordingly, the chapter consists of four parts. The first part will briefly outline a double critique of Western metaphysics, firstly, in terms of onto-theology and, secondly, with recourse to the denial of the African subject while at the same time sketching how, in relation to Kearney’s thought, this way of interpreting otherness leads to the construction of Western Gods and African Monsters. The second part will argue that a sense of decolonisation, following the analyses in the first part, may not be the reconstruction of new gods and monsters, namely African Gods and Western Monsters. The third part will engage with Kearney’s proposal of a diacritical hermeneutics in order to formulate in the final part, four suggestions toward a diacritical decolonisation that aims to critically interpret otherness instead of rehearsing the same violent essentialising logic of the coloniser and thereby attempts to break the perpetuating cycle.
What might a sense of decolonisation (not)/be? Or, what comes after the logic of the coloniser? T... more What might a sense of decolonisation (not)/be? Or, what comes after the logic of the coloniser? This question is at the centre of many debates in South Africa and extends to all countries worldwide who are faced with the challenge of self-determination by rethinking the world we live in after the domination of the world by the so-called " all enclosing Western world-view " incarnated in various oppressive political, economic, social and intellectual practices. The challenge of rethinking the world following the demotion of the West from its centre, as will be argued, is not only for those who are particularly living in a previously colonised world, but also for those who were/ still are in the position of dominance, which is a universal task. It is at this point where the various philosophical traditions meet, more precisely that of continental philosophy of religion and African philosophy. Accordingly, this article seeks to explore the question in two parts by way of an inter-cultural approach. Part one retraces the critique of (a certain) Western metaphysics in terms of its onto-theological constitution. Subsequently, this onto-theological constitution is discussed in relation to the notions of identity and political to outline what a sense of decolonisation might not be, that is a re-enforcement of the logic of the coloniser, which denies the full existence of another. In part two, four suggestions are made on what a sense of decolonisation might be in dialogue with Jean-Luc Nancy and Achille Mbembe. The suggestions include a two-sided attitude of reticence/dissidence against falling back into the problematic logic. A move to consider decolonisation as the dis-enclosure of the world, which in turn, opens up a space for an alternative ontology that acknowledges our existence as always being-in-the-word with others. The fourth suggestion concerns the implications of this alternative ontology regarding a non-substantialist notion of identity as mêlée, which is the action of constant struggle within the reopened space for what it means to live in the world. Finally, it is concluded that the alternative ontology of decolonisation as dis-enclosure implies a universal task of taking responsibility for the reparation of the dignity of the whole of humanity within our shared world.
The debate on the possibility of rethinking transcendence at the so-called end or closure of the ... more The debate on the possibility of rethinking transcendence at the so-called end or closure of the metaphysical tradition and its relation to the political is situated at the heart of contemporary continental philosophy of religion. This article engages the debate by reviewing what is to be thought or anticipated at the closure. Firstly, the problem of engaging with transcendence at the closure of metaphysics is outlined as a discussion on what is possibly meant by the end of transcendence and onto-theology. Subsequently, the question concerning the political and its inseparable relation to transcendence is sketched and denoted by the phrase " the political/transcendence ". Secondly, Levinas' and Nancy's respective attempts at addressing the problem are explored in the form of a debate, with the outcome suggesting a possible gesture towards Nancy's reconception of transcendence as transimmanence, found in his notion of " the promise of love " , on " how " to anticipate rather than " what " to anticipate in these end times.
Dissertations by Schalk Gerber
Is a notion of transcendence still possible, after (a certain) metaphysics, which enables a sense... more Is a notion of transcendence still possible, after (a certain) metaphysics, which enables a sense of politics that does not reduce difference? This study seeks to address the question by first suggesting that in Edmund Husserl’s redefinition of the distinction between immanence (the subject’s cognition) and transcendence (the world/ the other) one finds a ‘starting point’ for the endeavor.
Additionally, three criteria for guiding the set-out task of thinking after metaphysics are proposed. The first criterion concerns the modus operandi for thinking after metaphysics that I call a thinking the same different taken from Martin Heidegger’s way of engaging with the history of thought. The second criterion is also provided by Heidegger in his critique of ontotheology and accordingly concerns avoiding ontotheology, which is synonymous with thinking after (a certain) metaphysics, i.e. the metaphysics of ontotheology. Furthermore, in appropriating Heidegger, account is also taken of his involvement with the Nazi regime, as demythologizing Heidegger with the help of John Caputo. The third and final criterion concerns thinking the other (not the Other) sprouting from Emmanuel Levinas’ critique of Heidegger sublating alterity.
In turn, these criteria are argued to be met in the thought of Jean-Luc Nancy, who also redefines the distinction between immanence (subject) and transcendence (the world/ the other), allowing me to make a case for Nancy providing an alternative sense of politics that allows for difference. This alternative sense of politics is found in Nancy’s re-appropriation of Heidegger’s notion of Mitsein, as thinking the with of being-with, which concerns the plurality of singularities. Moreover, it is argued that Nancy’s notion of transcendence as transimmanence enables his alternative sense of politics.
Furthermore, Nancy’s thought is brought into a debate with that of Levinas, who might also be considered to provide a way to answer the question above. The debate hinges on Levinas’ rejection, and Nancy re-appropriation of Heidegger and includes Critchley’s Levinasian critique of Nancy, as well as a Nancian reply and critique of Levinas in a discussion on love. Following the debate, the concluding remarks propose why Nancy is preferred above Levinas in answering the question, and the implications of Nancy’s thought for the South African context.
Book Reviews by Schalk Gerber
This article reviews the 2017 English translation of Achille Mbembe’s book Critique of Black Reas... more This article reviews the 2017 English translation of Achille Mbembe’s book Critique of Black Reason. It suggests that a key to understanding the work concerns the theme of the double, for instance, the critique of the double discourse on Blackness which explains the title of the book. Despite some passages of the text being overly poetic and difficult to understand, Mbembe’s critical contribution in this work, to not only the philosophical debate on otherness but also critical race theory, is the attempt to rethink the relation of the particular and the universal, or in this instance Africa and the world, in order to think more critically about the responsibility of repairing the dignity of humanity in thinking our shared world beyond race and racism.
Special Projects by Schalk Gerber
This is an announcement for a forthcoming special issue of Religions. Please also see our webpage... more This is an announcement for a forthcoming special issue of Religions. Please also see our webpage for more details: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/transcendence_and_eschatology
This special issue of the journal, Religions, seeks to explore the connections between eschatology and transcendence within contemporary philosophical-theological debates. This issue will inquire into the convergence or interrelation between the concepts of transcendence and eschatology and how they have developed within contemporary, primarily Continental, thought. On the one hand, thinkers within a hermeneutical-phenomenological context have made a theological turn to re-evaluate concepts of transcendence after the critique of metaphysics. On the other, political philosophers have explored how eschatology(-ies) undergird societal structures that situate the self into a larger, historical context. Within the former discussion, concepts such as radical transcendence and immanent transcendence – or even a so-called end to transcendence – have arisen as possible reorientations after onto-theology. Within the latter, the eschatological promise of the impossible becoming possible, or an end to history, have arisen as motivating principles behind the foundational intuitions and concepts in society.
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Papers by Schalk Gerber
Dissertations by Schalk Gerber
Additionally, three criteria for guiding the set-out task of thinking after metaphysics are proposed. The first criterion concerns the modus operandi for thinking after metaphysics that I call a thinking the same different taken from Martin Heidegger’s way of engaging with the history of thought. The second criterion is also provided by Heidegger in his critique of ontotheology and accordingly concerns avoiding ontotheology, which is synonymous with thinking after (a certain) metaphysics, i.e. the metaphysics of ontotheology. Furthermore, in appropriating Heidegger, account is also taken of his involvement with the Nazi regime, as demythologizing Heidegger with the help of John Caputo. The third and final criterion concerns thinking the other (not the Other) sprouting from Emmanuel Levinas’ critique of Heidegger sublating alterity.
In turn, these criteria are argued to be met in the thought of Jean-Luc Nancy, who also redefines the distinction between immanence (subject) and transcendence (the world/ the other), allowing me to make a case for Nancy providing an alternative sense of politics that allows for difference. This alternative sense of politics is found in Nancy’s re-appropriation of Heidegger’s notion of Mitsein, as thinking the with of being-with, which concerns the plurality of singularities. Moreover, it is argued that Nancy’s notion of transcendence as transimmanence enables his alternative sense of politics.
Furthermore, Nancy’s thought is brought into a debate with that of Levinas, who might also be considered to provide a way to answer the question above. The debate hinges on Levinas’ rejection, and Nancy re-appropriation of Heidegger and includes Critchley’s Levinasian critique of Nancy, as well as a Nancian reply and critique of Levinas in a discussion on love. Following the debate, the concluding remarks propose why Nancy is preferred above Levinas in answering the question, and the implications of Nancy’s thought for the South African context.
Book Reviews by Schalk Gerber
Special Projects by Schalk Gerber
This special issue of the journal, Religions, seeks to explore the connections between eschatology and transcendence within contemporary philosophical-theological debates. This issue will inquire into the convergence or interrelation between the concepts of transcendence and eschatology and how they have developed within contemporary, primarily Continental, thought. On the one hand, thinkers within a hermeneutical-phenomenological context have made a theological turn to re-evaluate concepts of transcendence after the critique of metaphysics. On the other, political philosophers have explored how eschatology(-ies) undergird societal structures that situate the self into a larger, historical context. Within the former discussion, concepts such as radical transcendence and immanent transcendence – or even a so-called end to transcendence – have arisen as possible reorientations after onto-theology. Within the latter, the eschatological promise of the impossible becoming possible, or an end to history, have arisen as motivating principles behind the foundational intuitions and concepts in society.
Additionally, three criteria for guiding the set-out task of thinking after metaphysics are proposed. The first criterion concerns the modus operandi for thinking after metaphysics that I call a thinking the same different taken from Martin Heidegger’s way of engaging with the history of thought. The second criterion is also provided by Heidegger in his critique of ontotheology and accordingly concerns avoiding ontotheology, which is synonymous with thinking after (a certain) metaphysics, i.e. the metaphysics of ontotheology. Furthermore, in appropriating Heidegger, account is also taken of his involvement with the Nazi regime, as demythologizing Heidegger with the help of John Caputo. The third and final criterion concerns thinking the other (not the Other) sprouting from Emmanuel Levinas’ critique of Heidegger sublating alterity.
In turn, these criteria are argued to be met in the thought of Jean-Luc Nancy, who also redefines the distinction between immanence (subject) and transcendence (the world/ the other), allowing me to make a case for Nancy providing an alternative sense of politics that allows for difference. This alternative sense of politics is found in Nancy’s re-appropriation of Heidegger’s notion of Mitsein, as thinking the with of being-with, which concerns the plurality of singularities. Moreover, it is argued that Nancy’s notion of transcendence as transimmanence enables his alternative sense of politics.
Furthermore, Nancy’s thought is brought into a debate with that of Levinas, who might also be considered to provide a way to answer the question above. The debate hinges on Levinas’ rejection, and Nancy re-appropriation of Heidegger and includes Critchley’s Levinasian critique of Nancy, as well as a Nancian reply and critique of Levinas in a discussion on love. Following the debate, the concluding remarks propose why Nancy is preferred above Levinas in answering the question, and the implications of Nancy’s thought for the South African context.
This special issue of the journal, Religions, seeks to explore the connections between eschatology and transcendence within contemporary philosophical-theological debates. This issue will inquire into the convergence or interrelation between the concepts of transcendence and eschatology and how they have developed within contemporary, primarily Continental, thought. On the one hand, thinkers within a hermeneutical-phenomenological context have made a theological turn to re-evaluate concepts of transcendence after the critique of metaphysics. On the other, political philosophers have explored how eschatology(-ies) undergird societal structures that situate the self into a larger, historical context. Within the former discussion, concepts such as radical transcendence and immanent transcendence – or even a so-called end to transcendence – have arisen as possible reorientations after onto-theology. Within the latter, the eschatological promise of the impossible becoming possible, or an end to history, have arisen as motivating principles behind the foundational intuitions and concepts in society.