Dominique Pagani counts Adotevi, along with Hountondji, among his two favourite West African philosophers. What he first takes from him is his distrust of any essentialism of negritude1. In 2017, he gives a close reading of Négritude et négrologues, in its second edition, which the publisher presents as a classic. He credits it with a universal reach against re-ethnicisation2. In his view, the book shows negritude as necessary at first, as a polemical concept and a founding myth, and then as more of a burden than a liberation3. It thinks of negritude in terms of struggle, within a framework of universality and class exploitation4. He quotes one of its theses: it is not racism that creates slavery, it is slavery that creates racism5. He believes the book is more uncomfortable today than when it first came out, because identitarianism has returned6. He comes back to it in 2021: the book does justice to the theories of negritude7. He draws on it to criticise negritude as it became an ontology in Senghor, where the Black man would be instinct and the White man reason8.
Summary produced automatically from 8 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.
Who is this?
Stanislas Spero Adotevi (4 February 1934 Lomé – 7 February 2024) was a Beninese politician, civil servant and UNICEF official. He served in Benin's government as Minister of Information in 1963 and as Minister of Culture between 1965 and 1968. He was later Director of the Institute of Applied Research and Director of the National Archives and Museums. In 1981 he was appointed UNICEF Representative in the Republic of Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) and in 1987 he became the UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, directing UNICEF's work in 23 African countries. […]
4:31With Hountondji, one of his two favorite West African philosophers, Beninese, wary of any essentialism of negritude.
7:06Negritude and NegrologistsNegritude, necessary at first as a polemical concept and founding myth, then becomes more of a hindrance than a liberation.
18:53Negritude and NegrologistsThe book disturbs more today than at its publication, because of the return of identitarianism.
25:52Negritude and NegrologistsHistorical and Marxian approach: negritude is a fruitful moment of struggle for recognition, then a brake; he raises a universal theme.
35:19He does not fall into the fantasmatic of African authors and substitutes history for legend.
0:23Negritude and NegrologistsThe publisher presents his book as a classic, read in its second edition, which has a universal scope against re-ethnicization.
44:16Negritude and NegrologistsFor Pagani, the book thinks négritude in terms of struggle within a framework of universality and class exploitation.
59:03Negritude and NegrologistsHis thesis is cited: it is not racism that creates slavery, it is slavery that creates racism.
Talks · 8 Jun 2017Negritude and negrologists / Adotevi by Pagani (2017)
