University of Edinburgh Welcomes Tommy Curry As Faculty

Tommy J. Curry, currently Professor of Philosophy at Texas A & M University, will join the University on July 1 as Professor of Africana Philosophy and Black Male Studies in the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS).



Curry is a leading figure in the philosophy of race and gender and in Africana philosophy. He is the author of The Man-Not: Race, Class, Genre, and the Dilemmas of Black Manhood, which was recently awarded a 2018 American Book Award, and of Another white Man’s Burden: Josiah Royce’s Quest for a Philosophy of Racial Empire.



“The Philosophy department at the University of Edinburgh expressed a seriousness about the study of racism and Critical Race Theory that is forward-looking and dedicated to proactively engaging the problems of difference and inequality confronting humanity in the 21st century. In the United States, Black philosophers are a fraction of professional philosophers in the country,” he said. “Some say we are slightly less than one percent of the discipline. To hold a chair in Africana Philosophy and Black Male Studies at the University of Edinburgh really conveys to world-leading universities not only the importance, but the absolute necessity, of theorizing and learning from the centuries-long struggles of Blacks and other racialized peoples against colonialism and slavery when attempting to answer the most fundamental of questions posed by various disciplines within the humanities.”



He has also re-published the forgotten philosophical works of William H. Ferris as The Philosophical Treatise of William H. Ferris: Selected Readings from The African Abroad or, His Evolution in Western Civilization, is editor of the first book series dedicated to the study of Black males (Black Male Studies: A Series Exploring the Paradoxes of Racially Subjugated Males, with Temple University Press), and is currently co-editing (with Daw-nay Evans) the forthcoming anthology Contemporary African American Philosophy: Where Do We Go from Here?.



Curry expresses that this appointment will continue to advance the work of Black Male Studies not only in the United Kingdom but all over the world.



“Edinburgh is a top 20 institution in the world, and I have an opportunity to have my research recognized. It speaks volumes for the university to recognize work that is cutting edge,” he said. “We are not having the same old conversation, and they understand the impact of empirical research. This position opens up opportunities for us to discuss things that have been limited.”



His research has been recognized by Diverse magazine, which named him among the Top 15 Emerging Scholars in the United States in 2018, and his public intellectual work earned him the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy’s Alain Locke Award in 2017. He is a past president of Philosophy Born of Struggle, one of the oldest Black philosophy organizations in the United States.



In 2019-20, Curry will be teaching 4th-year seminars for undergraduates on the philosophy of race and gender.



“The philosophy of race is still an emerging discipline in the UK. Professor Curry’s appointment is a real step change and statement of intent. His world-class scholarship will make Edinburgh a destination for students wishing to study a subject that is incredibly pressing and relevant for society,” Holly Branigan, Head of PPLS said.



