North American Society for Social Philosophy (NASSP) Annual Conference

Conflict, Crisis, and Catastrophe: Fortieth International Social Philosophy Conference Sponsored by the North American Society for Social Philosophy

University of Portland
Portland, Oregon
July 13-15, 2022

Those interested in presenting at NASSP’s 2023 Conference are invited to submit an abstract of their proposed presentation. Proposals for presentation in all areas of social philosophy are welcome, but special attention will be devoted to abstracts that relate to this year’s conference theme, Conflict, Crisis, and Catastrophe.

Abstracts of 200-500 words, prepared for anonymous review, should be submitted to: https://www.northamericansocietyforsocialphilosophy.org/annual-conference/abstract-submission/ on or before March 1, 2023. Abstracts should aim to convey clearly the author’s presentation thesis, and authors are encouraged to avoid technical jargon in explaining their arguments. Acceptance/rejection decisions will be emailed to authors by April 1, 2023.

We welcome submissions from both members and non-members, but we require that all presenters join the North American Society for Social Philosophy if their papers are accepted and they wish to present at the conference.

The Program Committee: 

[email protected]
Barrett Emerick, St. Mary’s College of Maryland (chair)
Janice Moskalik, Seattle University
Dan Lowe, University of Michigan
Elizabeth Lanphier, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (ex-officio)
Local host:  Jeff Gauthier, University of Portland

Accessibility and Inclusivity

NASSP is committed to creating an inclusive intellectual community where philosophers from historically marginalized groups feel welcome and are able to participate. NASSP recognizes that there are a variety of barriers of entry due to systemic discrimination and oppression that might prohibit participation in its events and governance (and in professional philosophy more broadly). NASSP is committed to removing those barriers and challenging oppressive norms within the profession more broadly, specifically (though not exclusively) for those related to race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, sexual orientation, ability, class, or gender. This commitment includes trying to provide hybrid participation options where possible for participants who face accessibility barriers to attend.

The University of Portland is an independently governed Catholic university, affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross. Its University Statement of Inclusion includes “…the fundamental mandate that every person, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social or economic class, age, or disability shall be treated with respect and dignity.”

Housing will be available at the University of Portland.

Questions? [email protected] 

Social Philosophy Today

Papers presented at the conference are eligible for consideration for publication in Social Philosophy Today, a peer-reviewed journal published electronically and available for print on demand.  Although most articles published in Social Philosophy Today are based on papers presented at the conference, the journal is not a proceedings volume.  Only those articles recommended on the basis of peer review will be accepted for publication.

NASSP Conference Awards for Graduate Students:

The North American Society for Social Philosophy awards an annual prize of $600 for the best Graduate Student Paper on a topic in social philosophy. Prizes will only be awarded to conference attendees who are still enrolled in a program towards a degree beyond the B.A. or first university diploma at the time of the conference. (Note that if the paper is coauthored then all the authors must meet this requirement.) There is no obligation to use prize money for conference-related costs.

To be considered for this award, full papers of no more than 3,000 words must be submitted on or before March 1, 2023 to [email protected]; please include a word count with submission. Abstracts must also be submitted according to the above instructions for consideration by the program committee by March 1, 2023, as only those whose abstracts are accepted by the program committee will be considered for the graduate award.

NASSP Support for International Presenters

The NASSP will waive fees for conference registration and for the banquet for those participants traveling from outside of the United States and Canada.

Some possible paper topics on Conflict, Crisis, and Catastrophe include:

1. Environmental catastrophe and climate crisis
2. Police reform and abolition
3. Internalized oppression
4. Political polarization and moral disagreement
5. Democracy in crisis
6. Rebuilding the social in the wake of conflict, catastrophe, or crisis
7. Rethinking conflict in the era of globalization
8. Rethinking conflict in the post-cold war era
9. Longtermism and (potential) crisis or catastrophe
10. Disability justice and conflict
11. Public advocacy and conflict
12. Conflict in caregiving and conflicts of care
13. Conflicts of identity
14. Health and public health crises and catastrophes
15. Conflict or crisis moral repair
16. Living with ongoing conflict, crisis, or catastrophe