Minorities and Philosophy

The Marc Sanders Foundation aims to encourage the broadest and most diverse range of talented people to take an interest in philosophy. To that end, the Foundation is presently sponsoring “Minorities and Philosophy” (MAP), a grassroots program specifically designed to help address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in philosophy.

Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) was founded by philosophy graduate students in Summer 2013 with the mission of addressing structural injustices in academic philosophy and removing barriers to participation in academic philosophy for members of marginalized groups. MAP is simultaneously a community for marginalized graduate students to reckon with structural injustice they personally experience, an advocacy platform for a more welcoming academic climate, and a safe space to promote philosophical work done from marginalized perspectives [see MAP resources for our completed reports, public posts, guides, and conference materials].

Our message has proven to be effective over the years–MAP has grown from 19 chapters in 2013 to more than 160 chapters worldwide today. MAP now includes local university chapters in the US, Canada, Australasia, Africa, and Europe, who have organized over a thousand events [including conferences, workshops, training, meet-ups, and mentorship events; for a list of events organized by MAP chapters, see this page]. Furthermore, MAP has been consistently showcasing the work of graduate students and early-career philosophers from marginalized groups at American Philosophical Association (APA) and Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) meetings as well as at our popular virtual Flash Talks Series. In 2021, MAP organizes a group session at the Eastern APA on “Countering Bullying, Harassment, and Microaggressions,” a session a the Central APA on “Public Philosophy and Activism,” a session at the Pacific APA to launch MAP Africa regional collective, and a session at the PSA on “Race and Racial Justice.”

MAP activities have traditionally been co-funded by local universities and the Marc Sanders Foundation. Due to COVID disruptions and MAP’s exponential growth, MAP is severely underfunded. Since 2013, when we started with 19 chapters, we have grown over 752%, yet we still receive the same annual operational budget. This has become highly unsustainable given MAP’s growing impact on the discipline. With MSF’s $10,000 dollar for dollar match promise, your donations have the potential to increase MAP’s annual operational budget by 100%.

Donations during this campaign will help MAP International organize events and support MAP chapters in philosophy departments worldwide. Moreover, they will go towards our two new initiatives aimed at facilitating regional collaboration and community building: MAP Africa and the MAP Inter-Campus Peer Mentoring Program.

Learn more about our mission, our team, and our activities on our website. You can read more about MAP’s institutional history here.

To make a gift contribution in support of MAP, please complete the donation form below, which will transfer you to Paypal to complete the transaction.