Afro-Pessimism, black feminist criticism, black sexual politics, Collins, Hartman, humanity, slavery, Spillers, subjectivity, violence

In the era of American postracialism, a new theoretical line of thinking has emerged in black studies, drawing attention to the structural condition of black existence. Referred to as ?Afro-pessimism,? a term attributed to Frank B. Wilderson, III, this radical position theorizes blackness as being outside the boundaries of humanity, i.e., being antagonistic to it. In this paper, I discuss black feminists? engagement with the theory of Afro-pessimism. First, I analyze its theoretical elaboration in the works of Saidiya V. Hartman and Hortense J. Spillers, two black feminist thinkers who have been categorized as Afro-pessimists. Then I attempt to read Patricia Hill Collins?s proposal for a new progressive black sexual politics as a possible means of engagement with the above theory, arguing that despite her focus on liberation, Collins shares some Afro-pessimist insights.