Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer the World?

Explore the fascinating historical and contemporary philosophical issues that arise in Black Panther

In Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer The World, a diverse panel of experts delivers incisive critical reflections on the Oscar-winning 2018 film, Black Panther, and the comic book mythology that preceded it. The collection explores historical and contemporary issues—including colonialism, slavery, the Black Lives Matter movement, intersectionality, and identity—raised by the superhero tale.

Beyond discussions of the influences of race and ethnicity on the most critically and culturally significant movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this book presents the moral, feminist, metaphysical, epistemological, existential, and Afrofuturistic issues framing Black Panther’s narrative. The explorations of these issues shed light on our increasingly interconnected world and allow the reader to consider engaging questions like:

• Should Wakanda rule the world?
• Was Killmonger actually a victim?
• Do Wakanda’s Black Lives Matter?
• Does hiding in the shadows make Wakanda guilty?
• What does Wakanda have to offer the world?

Perfect for fans of the most culturally significant film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther and Philosophy will also earn a place in the libraries of students of philosophy and anyone with a personal or professional interest in the defining issues of our time.

Keywords: Black lives matter, black philosophy, philosophy and popular culture series, philosophy and popular culture, popular philosophy, pop philosophy, philosophical issues in black panther, philosophy of Wakanda, afrofuturism, colonial philosophy