Cornel West
Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, social critic, actor, and public intellectual. The grandson of a Baptist minister, West's primary philosophy focuses on the roles of race, gender, and class struggle in American society. A socialist, West draws intellectual contributions from multiple traditions, including Christianity, the black church, democratic socialism, left-wing populism, neopragmatism, and transcendentalism. Among his most influential books are Race Matters (1993) and Democracy Matters (2004).
Cornel West | |
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West in 2018 | |
| Born | Cornel Ronald West June 2, 1953 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Princeton University (MA, PhD) |
| Notable work |
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| Political party | Independent (since 2023) Justice For All Party (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Green (2023) People's (2023) Democratic Socialists of America (since 1982) |
| Spouses | Hilda Holloman
(m. 1977, divorced)Ramona Santiago
(m. 1981; div. 1986)Elleni Gebre Amlak
(m. 1992, divorced)Leslie Kotkin
(m. 2015; div. 2018)Annahita Mahdavi (m. 2021) |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School |
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| Institutions | Union Theological Seminary Yale University Harvard University Princeton University Dartmouth College |
| Thesis | Ethics, Historicism and the Marxist Tradition (1980) |
| Doctoral advisor | Raymond Geuss, Sheldon Wolin |
| Doctoral students | Leah Hunt-Hendrix |
Main interests | |
| Website | cornelwest |
West is an outspoken voice in left-wing politics in the United States. During his career, he has held professorships and fellowships at Harvard University, Yale University, Union Theological Seminary, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Pepperdine University, and the University of Paris. He is a frequent commentator on politics and social questions in many media outlets.
From 2010 through 2013, West co-hosted the radio program Smiley and West with Tavis Smiley. He has been featured in several documentaries, and made appearances in Hollywood films such as The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as providing commentary for both films. West has also made several spoken word and hip hop albums, and due to this work, has been named MTV's Artist of the Week. West co-hosted a podcast entitled The Tight Rope, with Tricia Rose. He is a frequent conversation partner with his friend Robert P. George, a prominent conservative intellectual, with the two often speaking together at colleges and universities on the meaning of liberal arts education, free speech, and civil dialogue. In 2020, he was listed by Prospect magazine as the fourth-greatest thinker for the COVID-19 era.
West is a third party candidate in the 2024 presidential election. After declaring his run with the People's Party in June 2023, he shortly thereafter announced he also was seeking the nomination of the Green Party. In October 2023, he announced he was again switching his affiliation, and is running as an independent candidate.