First Annual UMSL Philosophy & Activism Workshop

Keynote speakers: Helen De Cruz (SLU) and Hallie Liberto (Maryland)

This event is generously supported by UMSL Dept. of Philosophy, Minorities and Philosophy (MAP), and UMSL College of Education.

We invite abstracts of 500-2000 words. Abstracts will be considered on a rolling basis until April 15. Submit abstracts to the organizer: Jill Delston ([email protected]). Sessions will be 50 minutes. Plan to speak for 20-30 minutes.

There will be a roundtable discussion on structural injustices in the philosophy profession. Abstracts intended either for this roundtable or for the regular program are fully welcome.

We’ll have two paper prizes: a $250 prize for the best paper by a contributor with a PhD, and a $250 prize for the best paper by a contributor without a PhD.

The workshop will occur in person (knock on wood).

We aim for a diverse lineup of papers and topics. Acceptable topics include conceptual questions (e.g., "What do various forms of activism such as civil disobedience, boycotting, and street protests have in common? In virtue of what do they all count as activism?"), ethical questions (e.g., "When is activism acceptable, obligatory, or immoral? Should any forms of activism be legally discouraged?"), historical questions (e.g., about specific instances of activism in history), and interpretive questions (e.g., you might try to extract or refine a view of activism from Kant or Mill or Arendt, etc.), among many other possibilities.