Perversity of Gratitude

Apartheid, ironically, provided Grant Farred with the optimal conditions for thinking. He describes South Africa's apartheid regime as an intellectual force that, "e;Made thinking apartheid, more than anything else, an absolute necessity."e; The Perversity of Gratitude is a provocative book in which Farred reflects on an upbringing resisting apartheid. Although he is still inclined to struggle viscerally against apartheid, he acknowledges, "e;It is me."e; Unsentimental about his education, Farred's critique recognizes the impact of four exceptional teachers-all engaging pedagogical figures who cultivated a great sense of possibility in how thinking could be learned through a disenfranchised South African education. The Perversity of Gratitude brings to bear the work of influential philosophers such as Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida. The book tackles broad philosophical concepts-transgression, withdrawal, and the dialectic. This leads to the creation of a new concept, "e;the diaspora-in-place,"e; which Farred explains, "e;is having left a place before one physically removes oneself from this place."e; Farred's apartheid education in South Africa instilled in him a lifelong commitment to learning thinking. "e;And for that I am grateful,"e; Farred writes in The Perversity of Gratitude. His autopoiesis is sure to provoke and inspire readers.