Kantian Theory and Race in Political Philosophy

Immanuel Kant’s political philosophy, grounded in principles of autonomy, universal moral law and republican freedom, has long been celebrated for its vision of legal equality and cosmopolitan right. Yet Kant’s own writings on human difference and natural history reveal a racialised teleology that situates non-white peoples at a supposed moral and developmental deficit. Critical scholarship has sought to reconcile Kant’s normative commitments to dignity and civic equality with the ways in which his framework historically underpinned colonial and racial hierarchies. Contemporary work explores how concepts such as the social contract and hospitality can be mobilised to dismantle structural injustice, while interrogating the limits of Kantian cosmopolitanism when it is filtered through racialist anthropology. This dialogue has given rise to new accounts of structural domination, a re-reading of Kant’s right to hospitality in support of indigenous and marginalised peoples, and a reassessment of teleological judgement that exposes its constraints on moral agency. The significance of this research extends beyond historical exegesis to inform debates on reparative justice, global rights of movement and the ongoing project of inclusive republican citizenship.

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Technical terms

Domination contract: A theoretical extension of the social contract that highlights how governance structures can institutionalise racialised oppression and unequal civic standing.

Structural domination: A form of systemic subjugation whereby legal and economic institutions perpetuate group-based disadvantage, contrary to the requirements of justice.

Teleological judgement: In Kantian philosophy, the cognitive activity of interpreting organisms and cultures in terms of purposes or ends, often used to justify hierarchical classifications.

Right to hospitality: Kant’s cosmopolitan principle granting foreigners a conditional right to peaceful reception, which contemporary scholars have reconceived to support claims of indigenous and non-state peoples.

References

1. The Promise and Limit of Kant’s Theory of Justice: On Race, Gender and the Structural Domination of Labourers. Kantian Review (2022).
2. White Progress: Kant, Race and Teleology. Kantian Review (2022).
3. Toward a Narrow Cosmopolitanism: Kant’s Anthropology, Racialized Character and the Construction of Europe. Kantian Review (2022).
4. A human right to political membership & the right to territory. Journal of International Political Theory (2023).