Nuove riflessioni su Hannah Arendt e il razzismo americano
Socially Separate, but Politically Equal. Hannah Arendt and American Racism (by Marco Goldoni) - ABSTRACT: Arendt’s Reflections on Little Rock is a brief but intense piece that has often been neglected by scholars. In this paper, Arendt applies her famous analysis of the human condition to the controversial issue of American school segregation. By examining this paper, it is possible to outline the main weaknesses of Arendt’s formal conception of law and to underline the reductionist account she offers of the relation between political equality and racial discrimination. By strictly separating social and political realms, Arendt takes a stance that can be understood as an instantiation of the colour-blind principle. In consequence, Arendt’s reasoning undermines the constitutional legitimacy of Brown v. Board of Education. In spite of her insistence on the importance of education for a political society, Arendt also seems to undervalue the role of the school as the first entrance into the normative world.