Although historians and literary theorists have long participated in discussions about race, it is only recently that philosophers have returned to the topic. The main focus of their attention has been the question of what one means by race now that its biological basis has been discredited, and under what conditions a non-essentialist concept of race can be sustained.
This volume provides an introduction to the concept of race within philosophy. It gives an overview of the most important contributions by continental philosophers to the understanding of race - focusing on Kant, Du Bois, Senghor, and Sartre - as well as presenting a general review of recent philosophical discussions. In addition, it moves the debate forward by including new contributions by some of today's leading theorists.