Philosophy of Antifascism

For too long mainstream philosophy has been content to imagine itself a neutral observer, acting as if it is the voice of reason by demanding tolerance, rational debate, and passivity in the face of the most abhorrent excesses of capitalism and colonialism. In response to such liberal accommodationism, endemic to philosophy departments and their gendarmes, Devin Zane Shaw's A Philosophy of Antifascism is refreshing in its call to renew the tradition of philosophical militancy. Through his rigorous engagement with De Beauvoir, Sartre, Fanon, Ranci?re, Du Bois, and many others including movement scholars, Shaw provides us with a taxonomy of fascism and anti-fascism demarcated from liberalism. In doing so he demonstrates that philosophy does not have to resemble the snooty "give them an argument" attitude that leads to philosophers sharing platforms with reactionaries under the misapprehension that they can debate away monstrous political and ethical commitments. Rather, Shaw returns us to that radical tradition of philosophy that has no problem with isolating, marginalizing, and deplatforming those who would seek to annihilate thought itself. A Philosophy of Antifascism thus joins a growing body of literature produced by a new generation of philosophers that refuse to accept the way in which the mainstream representatives of their discipline have collaborated with reaction.

Shaw makes a persuasive case for why the commitment to value human freedom demands a commitment to combat fascism. Further, Shaw demonstrates that this commitment implies an imperative to limit the power of fascists, as opposed to merely accepting a liberal imperative to voice opposition.

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If decolonization is an antifascism, then those starting from antifascist commitments would do well to consider Shaw's case for the antifascist turn to decolonization. Likewise, those committed to the project of decolonization stand to benefit from considering seriously Shaw's reflections on the ethical grounding for antifascist praxis, both in order to develop broader antifascist coalitions and to work through the self-critical endeavors that genuine decolonization demands. In brief, taking seriously Shaw's work shows that a philosophy of antifascism calls for a philosophy of decolonization and vice versa.

Shaw succeeds in preparing the ground for antifascist movement building as well as in helping us better understand antifascism. ... The potential of his work lies in sketching links between newly emerging social forces while also providing us with an ethical frame that suggests we should in some circumstances appreciate - rather than outright dismiss - the role of violence in social movements.