MAP Annual Report: 2023
Over the last year, Minorities and Philosophy International has continued its work developing programming related to philosophers of minoritized backgrounds while supporting graduate students across the world in their own work. Below, we highlight a few of the programs which MAP International organized and facilitated over the last academic year.
In AY22-23, MAP International organized two large panel discussions at the two largest disciplinary conferences in the United States, the Philosophy of Science Association and the American Philosophical Association meetings.
Read on to learn what MAP has done in the past year and contribute to our matching fundraiser, dollar-for-dollar, (up to $10k) by clicking the button below and completing the donation form on the MAP website.
Group Session at the PSA
November 2022
At the Philosophy of Science Association (PSA)’s 28th Biennial meeting in November, 2022, MAP held a session on Indigenous and non-Western philosophy of science. The panel, which was chaired by MAP organizer Lel Jones, featured Professor Shelbi Nahwilet Meissner of Georgetown University and Federica Bocchi of Boston University. The session began with a dialogue about how we can engage in conservation that serves Indigenous communities.
Participants discussed possible interventions in the conservation movement, including new methods of evaluating progress and success in conservation efforts. Conference-goers showed great interest in MAP’s session, which was standing room only.
How to Run a MAP Chapter 101
February 25, 2023
MAP organized a number of events meant to bring its many chapters closer together and to share ideas about supporting underrepresented philosophers on a variety of levels. For example, in February of 2023, MAP International organized a webinar aimed at increasing grassroots participation at the local chapter level. Federica Bocchi of Boston University spoke to an audience of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates and shared her experiences organizing local MAP chapters in both Italy and the United States. The webinar touched on issues including improving MAP participation across a range of identities, creating transition plans to improve the longevity of local MAP chapters, and decreasing organizer burnout. The event was well attended, and attendees asked for the event to be repeated in the future.
MAPpy Hour!
April 6, 2023
2023 brought the return of an event which had been paused since COVID, our “MAPpy Hour,” which aims to bring together MAP members across chapters for informal social interactions. By creating these connections, we hope to improve the MAP community and collaboration across universities. On April 6th, MAP International organizers held a MAPpy Hour in San Francisco during the APA Pacific. This brought together representatives from nearly a dozen chapters for a joyful evening in which MAP members discussed philosophy and their experiences in the discipline as minorities.
Pacific APA:
Ten Years of MAP: A Retrospective
April 8, 2023
MAP International Co-Director Alexandria James hosted a panel sponsored by the APA Committee. Titled, “Ten Years of MAP: A Retrospective,” the panel served as a reflection on MAP’s origins, its presence in the discipline, and the ways that MAP continues shaping and reshaping the discipline in more recent memory. The panelists were Eric Bayruns Garcia and Jesi Taylor. The session was particularly grounding as it included founders and long term participants – Bayruns Garcia founded one of the first MAP chapters at the CUNY Graduate Center and Taylor started the MAP chapter at Brooklyn College.
Panelists and participants touched on a number of topics, including how to prioritize mentorship in the academy for individuals from under-represented backgrounds whose research interests diverge from traditional topics. The conversation also addressed the state of pedagogy in philosophy broadly speaking, with a particular emphasis on what it means for philosophy to be accessible. The dialogue also looked forward towards the future of the discipline and MAP’s role. The session afforded those in attendance the opportunity to express their concerns and hopes, and served as a generative space for building on MAP’s accomplishments as we move forward.
MAP X BLOOMSBURY
Alexandria James (MAP), Milana Kostic (MAP), Maeve McKeown (Groningen), and Robin Zheng (Glasgow) are co-editors of MAP’s first edited volume on structural injustice, in collaboration with Bloomsbury. The Call for Papers is live, and the editors continue interfacing directly with potential contributors. The editors intend the volume to include the works of both faculty and graduate students.
Chapter Event Support
MAP was also proud to facilitate a number of locally-organized events across the globe. Perhaps most exciting were events led by our new India chapters. Alliance University and the University of Delhi organized conferences focused on the Gaze, a theoretical issue in phenomenology and critical theory. These conferences engaged philosophers across India. Local graduate students participants had the following to say about the conferences:
The seminar on gaze conducted by Minority and Philosophy was an exceptional event featuring experts from philosophy. The panel of speakers brought a diverse range of perspectives to the discussion, particularly as the issue [of gaze] pertained to marginalized groups. What made the seminar particularly compelling was the way in which it challenged the audience to think critically about their own gaze and the ways in which they may unintentionally perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases. (Bathmapriyan Shankar, Alliance University)
I recently took part in the Minorities and Philosophy’s seminar on gaze, and I can say with certainty that it was an eye-opening and thought-provoking event. The speakers brought neglected topics in philosophy to the fore by using various tools to help us better understand these issues. Overall, the seminar was a very worthwhile educational opportunity.
-Jitya Sp
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