Who are Cornell West and Bell Hooks and Michel Foucault? What do they have to say about postmodernity, deconstruction, and race?

Cornel West

• What is it to be Human? - we are all on our way to death, no matter what level of social status we are. The question is "what type of person are you going to be on that short journey from your mothers womb to your tombstone?"
• In his book 'Race Matters' Cornel states his purpose: “…my basic aim in life: to speak the truth to power with love so that the quality of everyday life for ordinary people is enhanced and white supremacy is stripped of its authority and legitimacy."
• Black Americans should use their common history as a source of power, hope, and help.
• Black Americans must create new leadership that are in touch with the people.
• "Nihilism is not overcome by arguments or analyses; it is tamed by love and care...a love ethic must be at the center of politics and conversation". A love of self and others must be the purpose of any economic or political action - West argues that this is the solution the rage and hopelessness of black America.

Bell Hooks

• Relating theoretical paradigms through examples in popular culture
• Using popular culture as pedagogy
• Thinking critically about our lives, despite being underprivileged, gives power.
• Addresses the problem that underclass, black youth don't have the same sense of entitlement that white students in ivy league schools do. Their trajectory is not based on intelligence, but rather on their sense of entitlement. 

Michel Foucault

• Philosophical historian: looks back into the past to solve and sort the problems of the present. 
• Criticizes the evolution of academics, medicine, sexuality, politics etc. 
• We have been taught that we are making progression from the past, but Foucault said that we should break away from the optimistic and privileged way we view life in the present, and consider that the way things were done in the past might actually be superior. He encourages one to look at the dominate institutions of our time and question them by analyzing their history and evolution.