CFP: Activism and Philosophy CFP

Activism and Philosophy

Essays in Philosophy
Volume 21, Number 1
Issue Date: January 2020
Submission Deadline: September 1, 2019
Editor: Ramona Ilea (Pacific University)

Essays in Philosophy is an open-access journal. For more information on the Board of Advisers, see https://commons.pacificu.edu/eip/editorialboard.html.

The journal is currently accepting submissions for a special issue called “Activism and Philosophy.”

For this issue, we seek articles that explore the relationship between activism and philosophy. Papers can address the connection between activism and philosophical scholarship, philosophical pedagogy, or philosophical service.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• The tensions between activism and philosophy (philosophical scholarship, teaching, or service)
• The compatibility of activism and philosophy
• Philosophy’s (in)ability to impact social change
• The relationship between theory and practice
• Philosophical duty to (not) engage in activism
• Exemplary work by philosophers who combine activism and philosophy
• Critical perspectives on activism and philosophy
• The ethics of approaching teaching as activism
• Public philosophy
• Philosophers as allies
• Standpoint theory and identity politics
• Criteria for choosing social causes that are worth advocating for
• Theoretical and pragmatic (e.g. institutional) obstacles to combining activism and philosophy
• Pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion in philosophical communities
• Individual responsibility and collective responsibility for transforming philosophy or for (not) doing activist philosophical work
• Education, manipulation, and coercion in activist philosophy
• Differences between activist philosophy and activist non-philosophy.
• Differences between activist philosophy and philosophy that has a social impact and/or engages with social issues.
• The ethics and epistemology of comparing identities and oppressions
• Epistemic authority, oppression, and silencing in philosophical and activist communities
• Identifying and addressing subordinating speech in philosophy
• Risk and uncertainty in doing philosophy that has the potential to have a social impact
• Demandingness, self-care, and community care for philosophers working on social justice issues
• The distinction between intent and impact in activist philosophy
• Activist teaching assignments and civic engagement assignments
• Other teaching areas where activism and philosophy might intersect: the ethics of syllabus construction, engaging diverse students, philosophical internships, etc.
• The ethics of philosophical service work: organizing and giving talks, editing journals, organizing events, running summer institutes and conferences, serving on IRBs or IACUCs, etc.
• Other neglected philosophical work related to activism
• Other neglected activist work related to philosophy

All submissions should be sent to the Editor, Ramona Ilea, via email at: [email protected] Please follow the journal’s guidelines for submission.