Talhah Mustafa successfully defended his dissertation, "Racial Powers," on Friday, February 21, 2025. His advisor is Jennifer McKitrick, professor in and chair of the Department of Philosophy.
Summary:
"This dissertation aims to explain, defend, and apply the nature of racial powers to various philosophical issues. It explains what racial powers are and defends the view that racial powers are powers possessed in virtue of one’s race or one’s perceived race. It goes on to critically analyze Chike Jeffers’ cultural constructionist account of race, and provides a positive account of race. It also argues that racial hierarchies are much more complicated than social constructionists think."
