We have delayed this newsletter by a few weeks, because we were waiting for news about a paper that just came out, and a reading group that’s being organised. We share the news below, but first:

Please welcome our new Editors!

Last time we invited you to volunteer for the DRL as an editor, and we are now happy to announce the names of those of you who decided to reply, as well as those who collaborated with us already and decided to take on the new role. Our new editors are:

• Jimena Clavel (Philosophy of Mind)
• Andrés Hernández (History of Philosophy)
• Franci Mangraviti (Logic)
• Christopher Masterman (Metaphysics)
• Quentin Pharr (Epistemology)
• Fenner Tanswell (Philosophy of Mathematics)
• Deryn Thomas (Social and Political Philosophy)
• Colin Troesken (Aesthetics)

If you are interested in joining our Editor Team, we are still looking for people working in other areas, especially: Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Philosophical Traditions and History of Philosophy. You can find more details in the previous newsletter, and write us directly to apply.

News

Indexing Philosophy – in a Fair and Inclusive Key
The DRL team members are delving deeper and deeper into researching diversity-related topics. In 2020, Simon Fokt wrote a critique of existing systems for indexing philosophy, on the example of the PhilPapers category tree. He now teamed up with Quentin Pharr and Clotilde Torregrossa to write a positive proposal for a category system which would be more inclusive and fair, yet remain efficient and easy to use and implement. The paper will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Philosophical Association, and you can read it online already now.

Decolonise your reading groups initiative
We are very happy to report that our Reading Group Blueprints will be used in a joint initiative by the British and Irish Postgraduate Philosophy Association (BIPPA) and the Minorities and Philosophy UK chapter (MAP UK). They aim to organise a fortnightly series of online reading groups open to anyone interested, anywhere in the world. The first reading cycle follow our Postcolonial Theory, Race and Caste Blueprint and will begin in March 2023. The precise date will be announced according to the participants’ availability. Sign up here!

New Blueprints & your feedback
Speaking of, we have two amazing new Reading Group Blueprints for you: Feminist philosophy and experimental philosophy created by Shannon Brick, Michael Greer and Tomasz Zyglewicz, and A Comparative Introduction to the Philosophy of Non-Human Animals by Björn Freter.  We hope that you will find them interesting.

It’s now a year since we started the Blueprints initiative and we are curious how you are finding them, whether you are using them to run a reading group, help you design a course, or just to explore a topic yourself. We would appreciate it if you could let us know using this short form. Thank you!

Re-reading the Canon with the Diversity Reading List in Philosophy
We warmly invite you to an open lecture Clotilde Torregrossa (St Andrews, DRL Manager) was invited to give at the SOAS University of London, on March 23rd, 2023, 2-4pm (London Time), as part of a lecture series on Re-Reading the Western Canon. New perspectives on ignored problems. You can register in advance here.

Volunteer Spotlight: Julia Costet (she, her)

I am a third-year Ph.D. candidate at the London School of Economics’ Department of Government and have been a volunteer for the DRL for just over a year. With the DRL I co-convened, with my colleague and friend Suddhasatwa Guharoy (University of Manchester), a seminar entitled “Rethinking Ecofeminism: Creative Resistance and Environmental Justice”. The seminar gathered activists and academics to discuss ecofeminist ideas; whether they should or can have a future in informing our practices of resistance and our thinking about environmental justice.

As a feminist theorist working at the intersection of political theory, epistemology and phenomenology – I consider the work being done by the DRL to be really valuable in thinking about the practice of inclusion while we attempt to de-center the Euro-American canon. The DRL not only offers sources to diversify curricula but also offers practical strategies to engage thoughtfully and meaningfully with differently situated lifeworlds. My experience working as a volunteer for the DRL has been extremely positive and enriching. Through the vast network of the DRL, I have been able to meet engaged thinkers across the globe who are all working towards reflecting beyond the bounds of the canon. The conversations I have had with each of these engaged thinkers have greatly energized my own thinking and research!

Get involved, get funded!

We continuously expand our list and you can help us by contributing content via our contribution page.

We couldn’t do what we do without the help of our fantastic volunteers. Check out our Volunteer Page to find out more, and join the Team! There are so many ways to get involved: creating new Reading Group Blueprints; becoming an editor; adding new list entries; organising events, promoting, and much more.

As a volunteer, you will also have access to the funding we receive for various projects we run. Get in touch to find out more!

Thanks so much again for all your support,
The DRL Team