The purpose of this research is to examine issues and questions associated with black womanist ethics, especially as put forward by Katie G. Cannon. The plan of the research will be to describe the background for Cannon and the outline of ideas contained in her collection of essays on the subject, to provide a brief synthesis of her ethical approach, emphasizing her major contributions to the field of ethics, and then to provide a personal critique of the strengths and weaknesses of Cannon's arguments. This is all based on two major areas: (1) Cannon's own work, and (2) ideas and criticisms of her ideas.
Cannon's view of black womanist ethics can be traced to Alice Walker's definition of the terms womanism and womanist. Walker's definition of womanism contains four areas of concern: outrageous or willful, grown-up behavior by black feminists or feminists of color; women loving women (sexually or not), and "committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female"; loving of people (Folk), herself, food, spirit, music, etc.; "womanist is to feminist as purple to lavender" (Walker, cited by Cannon 22). Cannon's view of black womanist ethics is that these areas of definition can be expressed in terms of female moral agency. This involves "challenging inherited traditions for their collusion with androcentric patriarchy as well as a catalyst in overcoming oppressive situations through revolutionary acts of rebellion" (Cannon (b) 23). Cannon's moral vision is related to her membership in the Presbyterian clergy (Cannon (b) cover). Thus it has a Christian aspect. But Cannon's interpretation of moral agency focuses on overcoming oppression. In the black womanist view, oppression is the basic fact of life for black women. Thus the ethical challenge is to survive oppression while keeping dignity and moral sense in place.
Cannon's ethical approach starts with a critique of social reality for black women. This critique cannot b...