Upload your work to Phil Papers! February 28, 2011

From Alison Bailey (a message sent to various mailing lists):

Ann Garry and I have just agreed to co-edit the “Feminist Philosophy” area for PhilPapers and we need your assistance to help grow this database and increase the visibility of feminist philosophy.
We believe this is an excellent opportunity to promote feminist scholarship in the discipline. PhilPapers is a comprehensive directory of online philosophical articles and books by academic philosophers. The site receives about 10,000 visits per day, and there are over 20,000 registered PhilPapers users.

In the next few months we will be re-organizing and expanding the categories listed under the Feminist Philosophy category, and doing our best to populate each category with new articles, book chapters, bookreviews, books, etc. We are particularly interested in increasing the visibility of feminist scholarship by groups that are underrepresented and marginalized within the discipline.

The representation of feminist works in PhilPapers is only as good as the papers that people post and submit. For this reason we encourage each of you to create a PhilPapers account, browse the site, and to upload your work if it’s not already there. To get started and to set up a PhilPapers user account please go here.

Documentary on Women and Media February 28, 2011

Thanks, C!

Reader seeks suggestions for invited APA session February 28, 2011

I’d like to ask the advice of readers of this blog. I’m arranging an invited session for an upcoming Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association called “New Approaches to Old Figures: Recent Work in Feminist History of Philosophy.” Although I already have some ideas both for invited speakers and for topics, I am curious to hear what/who others would like to see included on this topic. Please chime in! (But don’t be disappointed if your suggestion doesn’t end up making it to the program; this is just one short session, subject to many constraints.) Thanks for your help.

Webcast: “Where Have all the Women Gone?” by Carla Fehr February 28, 2011

The Institute for Philosophy in Public Life presents

A live discussion with web simulcast.

“Where Have All The Women Gone?
Social Accounts of Science and the Need for Women Scientists.”

A presentation and discussion led by
Carla Fehr
Visiting Fellow, Institute for Philosophy in Public Life
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Iowa State University

Wednesday, March 2, 6:00 p.m.
UND Bookstore (formerly Barnes & Noble)
771 Hamline Street, Grand Forks, ND
Free parking is available on site.

Or, watch the discussion live and chat with other viewers, at www.philosophyinpubliclife.org

—-
Summary:
Since the 1970’s, the number of women earning doctorates has tripled but the number of women full-time professors has only increased by half that; women are especially underrepresented in science and engineering. Traditionally, philosophers might claim this isn’t a problem: the knower isn’t as important as the knowledge itself. In other words, it doesn’t matter if the scientist is a man or a woman; all that matters is the knowledge he or she produces. In this discussion, Fehr will challenge this claim, examining the assertion that science is a social practice, and that objectivity is dependent on the people and practices of diverse communities of scientists.

CFP: Collectivity Beyond Identity February 28, 2011

Call for Papers
“Collectivity beyond Identity”
International conference, June 28-30, 2012

Modes of collectivity play an important role in numerous contexts of our social and everyday lives. Collectives form the basis of political practice and engagement, as well as of economic and labour relations. Collectivity appears to be a particularly important concept to consider especially in areas like feminist theorizing once subjecthood is critically examined, and not construed as sovereign and isolated.

Critical theory, however, has drawn our attention to the fact that collectives, and in particular those derived from attributions of identity, often result in exclusion and even violence. Questions were raised about the ways in which power relations and differences become disguised when groups, like that of women within the so-called second wave feminism, are construed as homogenic. Following such critiques, various attempts have been made to provide more complex analyses of power relations, which also take into account internal group differences. This, however, raises a further issue: how might we rethink community, and how can we conceive of collectivity, when the seemingly crucial aspect of collectivization – identity – has become the object of critical study?

It appears, then, that the problem of plurality cannot be responded to by invoking the notion of collective subjects. In fact, critiques of the notion of the subject have had the result of dissolving it into plural and contextually various notions, which themselves often remain undetermined. Given this, we want to ask further: Which conceptions of collectivity can deal with and survive the critical examinations of subjecthood? How can acting, working and living in concert be analyzed? Which connecting forces remain, when one doesn’t simply gloss over the divisive ones?

The critical tools of feminist theory, and in particular the input from Queer and Postcolonial Studies, point to a productive examination of belonging and (political) community. They may even contribute to visionary suggestions that bear on the general debate about collectives. This is even more so, as these theoretical and critical tools can helpfully examine and analyze the diverse experiences and experimentations of social movements that have already taken place.

The conference, then, asks the following questions (among others):

− On which theoretical and/ or empirical grounds can collectivity be defined?
− What is collective experience, and what generates collective action?
− Which forms of desire and affectivity structure collectives?
− How do questions of power, recognition and identity arise in collective contexts and what are the effects of these questions on gender?
− How, in political and judicial contexts, can we deal with the difficulty of categorization?
− Which conceptions of collectivity can be taken up and developed further in fruitful ways?
− Which experiences and reflections of transnational political collectivity seem promising?
− And what, if anything, would a distinctly feminist perspective be with respect to these questions?

The conference is bilingual (German/English) and transdisciplinary. It is aimed at scholars from all disciplines, whose work deals with the questions (or other similar ones) suggested above. Please send abstracts (one page in length) for papers suitable to be delivered in 20 mins and to be anonymously reviewed to: zentrum AT gender.hu-berlin.de. Please also include a short CV as a separate document with your submission.

The deadline for submissions is 23rd of May, 2011.

Organizers at HU Berlin: Sophia Ermert (Law), Gabriele Jähnert (Gender-Studies), Ina Kerner (Social Sciences), Mari Mikkola (Philosophy), Eva von Redecker (Philosophy).

scholarship for white men February 27, 2011

The Texas non-profit, Former Majority Association for Equality (FMAE), is offering scholarships. According to their webpage “Scholarship applicants should be caucasian, male, demonstrate a commitment to education, and substantiate financial need.”

According to the scholarship application form, applicants have to be “no less than 25% Caucasian.”

Here is the organization’s Mission Statement:

Our goal: To financially assist young Americans seeking higher education who lack opportunities in similar organizations that are based upon race or gender. In a country that proclaims equality for all, we provide monetary aid to those that have found the scholarship application process difficult because they do not fit into certain categories or any ethnic group.

We have a very simple mission: to fill in the gap in the scholarships offered to prospective students. There are scholarships offered for almost any demographic imaginable. In a country that proclaims equality for all, we provide monetary aid to those that have found the scholarship application process difficult because they do not fit into certain categories or any ethnic group.

Our short term aspiration is simple: Award a $500 scholarship to five individuals that meet or exceed our qualifications on July 4, 2011. Upon achieving this we look forward to giving at least five scholarships for each Spring and Fall semester. Awardees remain eligible for future semesters as long as one’s overall GPA exceeds 3.0. Scholarship applicants should be caucasian, male, demonstrate a commitment to education, and substantiate financial need.

One obstacle that we immediately anticipate is to not appear racist or racially motivated.  We do not advocate white supremacy, nor do we enable any individual that does. We do not accept donations from organizations affiliated with any sort of white supremacy or hate group. We have no hidden agenda to promote racial bigotry or segregation. FMAE’s existence is dedicated around one simple principle, to provide monetary aid for education to white males who need it.

You can find more information here, here and here.

The Sunday Cat recognizes feline hoarders February 26, 2011

Apparently the cat behavior in the clip is not that uncommon:

Ohh, keep caring AFTER a U.S. citizen is born? February 26, 2011

Why, we were just talking about this on this blog!  It does seem, does it not, that some Republican politicans in the U.S. care tremendously about displays of pro-lifeyness which include grandiosely stripping Planned Parenthood of aid (which could contribute to preventing pregnancies, but whatever).  They don’t seem to fret quite as much about helping along the ascendency of the U.S. to become the #1 country for infant mortality rates (among the 33 countries that the International Monetary Fund describes as “advanced economies”).

Legal aid and domestic violence February 26, 2011

Last December we blogged about the UK government’s proposed cuts to legal aid in divorce and family law cases:

The proposals mean that legal aid will be restricted to cases where forced marriage, international child abduction or domestic violence is proven. According to the Guardian, ‘domestic violence’ for these purposes will only include physical violence, not psychological abuse. They report that the Ministry of Justice believed it had to ‘…restrict the definition of domestic violence to one that could be demonstrated through “clear, objective evidence”.’

According to the UK Supreme Court blog the Court, in its January judgment in Yemshaw v Hounslow, has said that

…[t]he meaning of “violence” in the Housing Act 1996, s 177(1), in the context of “domestic violence”, should be understood as including physical violence, threatening or intimidating behaviour and any other form of abuse which, directly or indirectly, may give rise to the risk of harm. By the time of the 1996 Act, both international and national governmental understanding of the term “domestic violence” had developed beyond physical contact.

Okay, so I know the legal aid proposals aren’t the same as the Housing Act 1996.  And I’m not a family lawyer.  Or any other kind of lawyer.  But if I were, I’d think this might be a useful and important judgment.

Women in Opera – misogynism? February 26, 2011

A very interesting program caught my attention on BBC 3 today. It asks why opera seems to depend almost entirely on the suffering of dying women.

I was interested because when going to the Traviata earlier this year I was SO irritated by the (in my mind) misogynism (as well as the ridiculous plotline), that it stopped me from just being able to enjoy the music…

For those interested, the program is on again on the 26th of June.

(And I apologise to those outside the UK who can’t access this program!)

 

 

CFP: Society for Exact Philosophy February 26, 2011

SEP ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The 39th annual meeting of the Society for Exact Philosophy will be held at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. May 26-28, 2011. Conference organizers: Chris Tillman and Esa Diaz-Leon.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Society for Exact Philosophy invites submissions for its 2011 meeting.

Keynote speakers:
ROBIN JESHION (USC)
NATHAN SALMON (UC Santa Barbara)
JESSICA WILSON (Toronto)

Paper submissions in all areas of analytic philosophy are welcomed. A selection of papers from the conference will be published in a special volume of Synthese, guest edited by Marc Moffett.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 8th, 2011.

Submission Instructions

Authors are requested to submit their papers according to the following guidelines: 1) Papers should be prepared for anonymous refereeing, 2) put into PDF file format, and 3) sent as an email attachment to the address given below — where 4) the subject line of the submission email should include the key-phrase “SEP submission”, and 5) the body text of the email message should constitute a cover page for the submission by including i) return email address, ii) author’s name, iii) affiliation, iv) paper title, and v) short abstract.

Electronic submissions should be sent to societyexactphilosophy2011@yahoo.ca.

Nota Bene: All submissions will receive email confirmation of receipt. If your submission does not soon result in such an email confirmation, please send an inquiry either to the above address or to the local organizer.

For more information on the conference, please visit the conference web site.

Or contact the conference organizers:

Chris Tillman

Esa Diaz-Leon

“The SEP is dedicated to providing sustained discussion among researchers who believe that rigorous methods have a place in philosophical investigations.”

Join us in Winnipeg.
–

WordsWorking4Women February 25, 2011

Launching March 8, 2011, and you don’t have to spend dollars you don’t have, if you are simply interested in noting your support:

ww4w sells words – books, articles, speeches, poems – and uses the funds to empower women entrepreneurs in developing countries through microcredit loans.

See the About page for the fuller details, but I excerpt for your convenience the author-editor’s explanation of “how it will work:”

• Every purchase from the WW4W online bookstore will generate funds that will go to a portfolio of microcredit loans to women entrepreneurs in developing countries.
• I will select a number of women entrepreneurs registered with Kiva.org to begin our philanthropy.
• The money that is raised by the sale of words will go to these women.
• I will administer the portfolio, at least in the early stages, but every part of the exchange will be transparently available for scrutiny on the WW4W website.
• You will be able to track the money raised from the sales of words, the loans made to women entrepreneurs (together with details of their business projects), the progress of the businesses, and – in due course – the repayment of the loans.

That is the idea.

Good luck, Anne Summers!

Human Breast Milk Ice Cream February 24, 2011

Really.

(Thanks, A!)

Man models women’s clothes February 24, 2011

Or so it is being reported in the stories on Andrej Pejic. (Googling around, I can’t find any evidence that Pejic identifies as anything other than a man, but please do tell me if I’ve got that wrong.) At first it sounds pleasingly gender-bendy. But Pejic is being presented is a female ideal– even more unattainable than previous ones. And that doesn’t seem so pleasing somehow.

But he also seems to be doing men’s shows, and appearing in articles on trans icons (posing as Ziggy Stardust, not as himself). So maybe it’s all good? What do you think? (Thanks, A!)

What trans men tell us about inequality February 24, 2011

There is a new book… that examines the workplace experience of those who have taken a different journey: the transition from female to male….

Most of the men interviewed revealed that as men they were given more authority and respect in the workplace than they had received as women, even when they had stayed in the same job. They also found that their economic gains post-transition were greater despite the fact that their human capital remained the same.

Here are just a few of the observations made about the personal difference they found between being a woman in the workplace and being a man.

As men they found that they were perceived as being right more often. One tells a story of intentionally repeating a comment that had just been made by a woman in a conference setting. The woman had been shot down for making the comment but when the man made exactly the same observation the reaction was “Excellent point!”

Alternatively, the men found that displays of knowledge that had been previously sanctioned by their employers when they were women were now rewarded and they were encouraged to offer their opinions. More support was provided to them at work when they needed it, and more resources made it easier for the men to perform their jobs well.

As men, they found that behaviour that had been previously perceived as excessively assertive when they were woman was now positively seen as “taking charge.”

But there’s an important exception.

About one-third saw no gains to being a man. It turns out that the real gain described above is not in becoming a man, but in becoming an older white man. Becoming either a Black or Asian man meant facing a whole new set of challenges in the workplace as either being too aggressive or too passive. If the transition made them look like very young men (especially over the period in which they are developing peach fuzz beards) they saw no advantage, or were disadvantaged for their youth and perceived lack of experience.

For more, go here. Or get the book.

(Thanks, Frog and Shaula!)

Why We Need Women in War Zones February 24, 2011

An excellent article, here, dealing with Lara Logan’s sexual assault in Egypt.

Women can cover the fighting just as well as men, depending on their courage.

More important, they also do a pretty good job of covering what it’s like to live in a war, not just die in one. Without female correspondents in war zones, the experiences of women there may be only a rumor.

Look at the articles about women who set themselves on fire in Afghanistan to protest their arranged marriages, or about girls being maimed by fundamentalists, about child marriage in India, about rape in Congo and Haiti. Female journalists often tell those stories in the most compelling ways, because abused women are sometimes more comfortable talking to them. And those stories are at least as important as accounts of battles.

There is an added benefit. Ms. Logan is a minor celebrity, one of the highest-profile women to acknowledge being sexually assaulted. Although she has reported from the front lines, the lesson she is now giving young women is probably her most profound: It’s not your fault. And there’s no shame in telling it like it is.

(Thanks, David!)

Asperger’s – new blog February 24, 2011

I just came across this blog, which describes the experiences of a twenty-six year old woman who probably has Asperger’s Syndrome – as she says in the info, she doesn’t yet have a diagnosis, but her experience fits. There’s only one post up at the moment, but it looks like it will be interesting and informative. It also reminded me of the recent research that suggests Asperger’s is far more prevalent in females than originally thought, but the disorder manifests differently in females, and since the diagnostic criteria were based on male manifestations of the disorder, many females go undiagnosed. See this post for more information.

Same-sex marriage: Obama now onboard! February 23, 2011

From CNN:

President Barack Obama has ordered the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and woman, according to a statement Wednesday from Attorney General Eric Holder.

“The president has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny,” Holder said.

The key provision in the law “fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional.”

“Given that conclusion, the president has instructed the (Justice Department) not to defend the statute” in two pending cases in New York, Holder said. “I fully concur with the president’s determination.”

Obama has previously expressed his personal opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act but had never stated an opinion relating to its constitutionality.

An imperfect solution, one which leaves same-sex marriages vulnerable to the decisions of the next president. But it is one more milestone in the long march to equality.

Pro-big gov’t Republican wants us to report miscarriages February 23, 2011

Were you longing for fresh news of the Georgia state rep who wants to describe rape victims as accusers?  He wants your attention so badly, else why would he now propose a bill to the Georgia assembly which includes a proviso that women report miscarriages  (see Section 2.14) and volunteer to be investigated as to whether or not they caused their miscarriages?

(a) A report of spontaneous fetal death for each spontaneous fetal death which occurs in this state shall be filed with the local registrar of the county in which the delivery occurred within 72 hours after such delivery in accordance with this Code section unless the place of fetal death is unknown, in which case a fetal death certificate shall be filed in the county in which the dead fetus was found within 72 hours after such occurrence.

Subsection (3) is especially charming:

When a spontaneous fetal death required to be reported by this Code section occurs without medical attendance at or immediately after the delivery or when inquiry is required by Article 2 of Chapter 16 of Title 45, the ‘Georgia Death Investigation Act,’ the proper investigating official shall investigate the cause of fetal death and shall prepare and file the report within 30 days…

Perhaps you already heard something about this, and thought it must surely be an exaggeration; after all, no anti-Big Government conservative would seek such a phenomenal expansion of government into individuals’ private lives.  And imagine the expense!

But possibly it is a sneaky jobs-creation bill, because imagine the Traumatized Women Investigation Taskforce (TWIT) it would require establishing!  I for one, look forward eagerly to his forthcoming proposal to have every woman in Georgia report their every menstruation, just in case it contains a zygote.  The city of Atlanta alone would keep investigators of those nefarious women so busy!  And who’s to say women don’t do something to bring their periods on!

(I know, it’s just one state rep in Georgia whose bill will likely never pass.  I’m just obeying his bid for fame, but I also want to remain vigilant.  If this guy ever runs for president, then this material is comedy gold.)

Dream big, little girl February 22, 2011

So, I was at the mall today (due to an incident involving an iPhone and a pavement), and I wandered through Primark’s children’s section. Initially, I was pleasantly surprised to see PINK cardies in the boys’s section (admittedly, it looks like maybe this is because preppy is coming back, but I’ll take what I can get). Feeling good, I took a photo (which didn’t come out very well). The good feeling lasted about 30 seconds, as I turned to see this one, in the girls’ section.

[T-shirt reads "Future Footballers Wife"]

Sigh.