Tommie Shelby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tommie Shelby
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Shelby at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics in 2020
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| Born | 1967 (age 57–58) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
| Era | 21st-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Africana philosophy |
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Tommie Shelby (born in 1967) is an American philosopher. A philosopher is someone who studies big questions about life, knowledge, and values. Since 2013, he has been a special professor at Harvard University. He teaches about African and African American studies, and also about philosophy. He is currently in charge of the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard.
Professor Shelby is well-known for his work in several areas. These include Africana philosophy, which looks at ideas from African and African American thinkers. He also studies social and political philosophy, which are about how societies and governments should work. He explores social theory, especially ideas from Marxist theory, and the philosophy of social science.
Contents
Tommie Shelby's Journey in Education
Tommie Shelby was the oldest of six children. When he was in high school, he was very active in sports. He played basketball and competed in track events.
He went to Florida A&M University and earned his first degree in philosophy in 1990. Later, he continued his studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1998. His main project for his Ph.D. was about how Marxist theory looks at ideas about right and wrong.
Teaching Career
Before joining Harvard University, Professor Shelby taught at Ohio State University. He was an assistant professor there from 1998 to 2000. In 2000, he moved to Harvard as an assistant professor.
He became a special associate professor at Harvard from 2004 to 2007. Tommie Shelby is an important figure because he is the second Black scholar to become a tenured professor in Harvard's philosophy department. Being "tenured" means he has a permanent teaching position. The first Black scholar to achieve this was Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Other Important Roles
Professor Shelby has also been an editor for two magazines: Transition Magazine and the Du Bois Review. In 2015, he was chosen to be on the Pulitzer Prize Board. This board helps decide who wins the famous Pulitzer Prizes for journalism, books, and music. In 2022, he became a co-chair of this board.
In 2019, he was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a group that honors leading thinkers and leaders in many fields.
Key Ideas and Books
Professor Shelby writes books that explore important ideas about society and justice.
Understanding Black Solidarity
His first book, We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity, was published in 2005. In this book, he looks at the history of Black political thought. He discusses ideas from thinkers like Martin Delany and Malcolm X.
He then shares his own new ideas about how Black people can work together. He believes this can be done while still supporting important values like freedom for individuals, fairness for everyone, and accepting different cultures. Many people have praised this book for its deep thinking and for helping to move discussions about Black Nationalism forward.
Exploring Hip-Hop and Society
Professor Shelby also helped edit a book called Hip-Hop and Philosophy: Rhyme 2 Reason. This book looks at how hip-hop music and culture connect with philosophical ideas. It helps show how deep thinking can be found in everyday life and art.
He also helped edit another magazine issue called Transition 99. He wrote an entry about Black Nationalism for a big online encyclopedia of philosophy.
Books on Justice and Prisons
His second major book, Dark Ghettos: Injustice, Dissent, and Reform, came out in 2016. This book explores issues of injustice in poor urban areas and how people can work for change.
His third book, The Idea of Prison Abolition, was published in 2022. This book discusses different ideas about whether prisons should exist and how justice could be handled differently.
Tommie Shelby is married to the daughter of another famous Harvard philosopher, Thomas Scanlon.
See also
- Africana philosophy
- African American philosophers
