Looks to the philosophy and experience of prisoners to reinvigorate our concepts of justice, solidarity, and freedom

In Fugitive Thought, Michael Hames-GarcÍa argues that writings by prisoners are instances of practical social theory that seek to transform the world. Unlike other authors who have studied prisons or legal theory, Hames-GarcÍa views prisoners as political and social thinkers whose ideas are as valuable as those of lawyers and philosophers.

As key moral terms like “justice,” “solidarity,” and “freedom” have come under suspicion in the post–Civil Rights era, political discussions on the Left have reached an impasse. Fugitive Thought reexamines and reinvigorates these concepts through a fresh approach to philosophies of justice and freedom, combining the study of legal theory and of prison literature to show how the critiques and moral visions of dissidents and participants in prison movements can contribute to the shaping and realization of workable ethical conceptions. Fugitive Thought focuses on writings by black and Latina/o lawyers and prisoners to flesh out the philosophical underpinnings of ethical claims within legal theory and prison activism.

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As key moral terms like "justice," "solidarity," and "freedom" have come under suspicion in the post-Civil Rights era, political discussions on the Left have reached an impasse.

Product details

ISBN
9780816643134
Published
2004-07-19
Publisher
University of Minnesota Press
Height
229 mm
Width
149 mm
Age
G, P, U, 01, 06, 05
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Number of pages
408

Biographical note

Michael Hames-GarcÍa is associate professor of English and of philosophy, interpretation, and culture at Binghamton University, State University of New York.