Who is the human in media philosophy? Although media philosophers have argued since the twentieth century that media are fundamental to being human, this question has not been explicitly asked and answered in the field.
Armond R. Towns demonstrates that humanity in media philosophy has implicitly referred to a social Darwinian understanding of the human as a Western, white, male, capitalist figure. Building on concepts from Black studies and cultural studies, Towns develops an insightful critique of this dominant conception of the human in media philosophy and introduces a foundation for Black media philosophy.
Delving into the narratives of the Underground Railroad, the politics of the Black Panther Party, and the digitization of Michael Brown’s killing, On Black Media Philosophy deftly illustrates that media are not only important for Western Humanity but central to alternative Black epistemologies and other ways of being human.
Armond R. Towns is an Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa.
"Armond R. Towns boldly reimagines media studies by redirecting our attention back to the Aristotelian mimetic triad of object, media, and modality underlying Marshall McLuhan's media philosophy and then taking up Huey P. Newton's engagement with that philosophy to elaborate a Black theory of mediation as a fundamental aspect of homonization. On Black Media Philosophy is a must-read for anyone who wants to know what Black media philosophy is and can do."––R.A. Judy, author of Sentient Flesh: Thinking in Disorder, Poiēsis in Black
"In this powerfully argued and strikingly original book, Armond R. Towns makes the case for a Black media philosophy that brings the politics of Black liberation to bear upon media theory in ways that will shape the field for years to come. Assembling a wide-ranging and unexpected media archive, Towns showcases how Black radical media relations profoundly disrupt the Western tendency to reduce the Black body to media functions."––Neda Atanasoski, coauthor of Surrogate Humanity: Race, Robots, and the Politics of Technological Futures
"Aiming a laser beam at the blinding assumptions that lurk behind communication studies and the McLuhan legacy, On Black Media Philosophy remakes media theory with and for the Black radical tradition. Armond R. Towns puts together a whole new way of thinking about media, one that is as tonic for the present as it is urgent for the future."––Lisa Gitelman, New York University
"Convincingly argued and deftly written, Armond R. Towns' On Black Media Philosophy draws attention to western media philosophy's racial and colonial blind spots, while also providing a beautiful and necessary revision of these discourses through the lens of Black Studies. In doing so, Towns' wonderful book makes indispensable contributions to media studies, Black studies, cultural studies, media philosophy, and critical theory."––Alexander Ghedi Weheliye, Professor of African American Studies, Northwestern University
"With creative and generous intelligence, Armond R. Towns takes the white masks off of media history to show the Black skin beneath, laboring as yet another overlooked infrastructure."––John Durham Peters, Yale University
242 pp.6 x 9Illus: 4 b/w art
9780520355804$29.95|£25.00Paper
Mar 2022