Re-Reading Kantian Cosmopolitanism Through Du Bois’ Transnationalism

Abstract

Transnational Cosmopolitanism is a text that aims to build upon Kant’s account of cosmopolitanism through the post-WWI writings and political life of W.E.B. Du Bois. Through the work of these two figures, Valdez constructs the notion of “transnational cosmopolitanism” to describe situations of global injustice and to imagine worlds otherwise. By demonstrating the limits of Kantian cosmopolitanism through an anti-colonial reading of “Perpetual Peace,” Transnational Cosmopolitanism illustrates how these limits still emerge within neo-Kantian frameworks and writing. In order to overcome these limitations, Valdez artfully utilizes Du Bois’ political writings and his radical coalitional politics to argue that Du Bois’ writings and actions should inform our theorization and normative insights. This text provides a unique and robust contribution to the literature of cosmopolitanism that questions the current use of Kant’s canonical approach and enlists overlooked readings and resources to compose a transnational cosmopolitanism.