Category: John Locke

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Moving from “be” to “being” in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther”

Over the course of his Black Panther run, Ta-Nehisi Coates incorporatedcountless allusions to artists, writers, historical events and more. We see him directly referencing John Locke when Changamire, during our introduction to him, quotes from Locke’s Treatise on Government. We see his allude to Mr. Lif’s 2002 song “Post Mortem” when Zenzi quotes to song directly to Aneka, saying, “In times of famine we made more … Read More Moving from “be” to “being” in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther”

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Conquest and the Unjust Invasion of the Rights of Another in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther”

One of the through lines in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet deals with the ways that individuals rule and with discussions of conquest and power. As I wrote about last post, we see this early on, specifically when we first see Changamire and he quotes from John Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government. Speaking to his class, Changamire, quoting Locke, asks them if … Read More Conquest and the Unjust Invasion of the Rights of Another in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther”

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“What is my remedy against the robber, who so broke into my house?”: The Ruler and the Robber in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther”

The more I read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, the more I think about what exactly Coates is doing within this narrative. On one hand, as Julian Chambliss and others have remarked, he’s carrying on Don McGregor’s work from the 1970s where McGregor used Wakanda as a backdrop to examine issues of leadership and governance. As well, Coates is expanding upon … Read More “What is my remedy against the robber, who so broke into my house?”: The Ruler and the Robber in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Black Panther”