Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This paper reads Paul Gilroy’s planetary humanism in relation to environment, ecology, and physiography. Specifically, I notice how Gilroy’s deeper concerns with racial belonging cannot be delinked from processes of environmental degradation. I reflect on these themes in relation to the writings of Sylvia Wynter and Édouard Glissant. I end with short case studies (wires, kerosene, data) to demonstrate that planetary humanism is, in part, enunciated through creative infrastructures.
This lecture was held as part of the 2019 Holberg Symposium: "From Double Consciousness to Planetary Humanism" in honour of Holberg Laureate Paul Gilroy.
BIOGRAPHY: Katherine McKittrick is Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Her research is interdisciplinary and explores theories of liberation, black studies, and cultural production. McKittrick is the author of "Demonic Grounds" (2006), "Sylvia Wynter: On Being Human as Praxis" (2014) and "Dear Science and Other Stories" (forthcoming).
This paper reads Paul Gilroy’s planetary humanism in relation to environment, ecology, and physiography. Specifically, I notice how Gilroy’s deeper concerns with racial belonging cannot be delinked from processes of environmental degradation. I reflect on these themes in relation to the writings of Sylvia Wynter and Édouard Glissant. I end with short case studies (wires, kerosene, data) to demonstrate that planetary humanism is, in part, enunciated through creative infrastructures.
This lecture was held as part of the 2019 Holberg Symposium: "From Double Consciousness to Planetary Humanism" in honour of Holberg Laureate Paul Gilroy.
BIOGRAPHY: Katherine McKittrick is Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Her research is interdisciplinary and explores theories of liberation, black studies, and cultural production. McKittrick is the author of "Demonic Grounds" (2006), "Sylvia Wynter: On Being Human as Praxis" (2014) and "Dear Science and Other Stories" (forthcoming).
