Angela Y. Davis

Ramgotra, Manjeet

Abstract

This chapter examines the core ideas of Angela Davis’s radical Marxist, abolitionist, political theory. It starts by looking at her experiences of racism, sexism, and imprisonment which underpin her activism to create a better world against the oppressions of the capitalist, white supremacist and heteropatriarchal state. Additionally, Davis advances arguments for the abolition of prisons. Davis’s abolitionism promotes a more humane and inclusive society based on radical conceptions of community, caring, and solidarity. The chapter also covers Davis’s work examining how Black women in particular faced multiple and intersecting oppressions of gender, race, class, and sexuality, especially as articulated in her Women, Race and Class (1981).

Citation

Ramgotra, M. (2023). Angela Y. Davis. In M. Ramgotra, & S. Choat (Eds.), Rethinking Political Thinkers (639-656). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780198847397.003.0035

• Publication Date: Mar 30, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 7, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 31, 2025
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 639-656
• Book Title: Rethinking Political Thinkers
• ISBN: 9780198847397
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/hepl/9780198847397.003.0035
• Keywords: Black women, capitalist, Angela Y. Davis, democracy, oppressions, prisons, racism, sexism, white supremacy
• Related Public URLs: https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/rethinking-political-thinkers-9780198847397?cc=gb&lang=en&; https://www.oxfordpoliticstrove.com/display/10.1093/hepl/9780198847397.001.0001/hepl-9780198847397-chapter-35