In Kant, Race, and Racism, Huaping Lu-Adler presents a profound philosophical inquiry that re-examines Immanuel Kant’s complex engagement with race and racism. Far beyond the superficial treatment of Kant’s racial theories as mere aberrations from his moral philosophy, Lu-Adler argues for a deep integration of Kant’s raciology—comprising both racialism and racism—into the very fabric of his philosophical system. This book challenges prevailing assumptions that Kant’s personal prejudices can be neatly separated from his core philosophical doctrines and that his racist views are in stark contradiction with his moral theory.
Through a detailed analysis, Lu-Adler demonstrates that Kant’s contributions to racial theory were not incidental but central to his broader philosophical agenda. Kant’s role as a philosopher and educator, she argues, was pivotal in the shaping and dissemination of modern racist ideology. His scientific theories on race, framed from the perspective of a Naturforscher (philosophical investigator of nature), and his transmission of these denigrating views through his educational practices, played a crucial role in constructing a worldview that marginalized non-Western peoples and excluded them from cultural and moral achievements.
Lu-Adler critiques the individualistic approach that isolates Kant’s racism as a personal failing or historical artifact, positing instead that Kant’s racial views were integral to his ideological formation and to the construction of racist thought in the Enlightenment era. By employing Sally Haslanger’s notion of racism as ideological formation, Lu-Adler places Kant within a network of power relations and meaning-making processes that influenced and perpetuated racist ideologies. She elucidates how Kant’s philosophical and educational contributions helped to institutionalize a racial hierarchy that has had enduring impacts on the perception of racialized others.
The book also addresses the implications of Kant’s racial views for contemporary Kant scholarship and pedagogy. Lu-Adler argues that scholars who engage with Kant’s work have a moral and practical responsibility to confront and address the legacies of racism embedded within his philosophical system. This entails a reorientation towards antiracist commitments, both in teaching and in philosophical inquiry, and a pragmatic engagement with the nonideal social realities that continue to reflect Kantian racial biases.
Kant, Race, and Racism compels philosophers and educators to rethink how Kant’s legacy is navigated and taught, urging a commitment to substantial racial justice, equality, and inclusion. Lu-Adler’s work pushes the discourse beyond traditional debates about Kant’s personal racism versus the purity of his philosophy, presenting a comprehensive analysis that reconfigures our understanding of Kant’s role in the historical development of racist ideologies and their modern ramifications.
This work offers a seminal contribution to Kantian scholarship and to the broader field of philosophy. It is essential reading for anyone engaged in the study of Kant, the history of philosophy, or the philosophical implications of race and racism. Lu-Adler’s insightful examination not only challenges established interpretations but also provides a forward-looking framework for addressing the enduring legacies of philosophical racism in the contemporary world.
Simon Gros 
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