Help Needed for Finding Good Quotes by Women Philosophers

This could start a nice collection of resource material for all of us.

A reader asks:

On the first slide for my introductory philosophy lectures, I
like to try to include a thought-provoking quote each day (ideally
related to that day’s topic, but I am flexible on how tightly
related).  I’ve been trying to do some work to balance the gender
ratio of these quotes, but I haven’t been able to find a good resource
for locating good succinct quotes by women philosophers, and
wikipedia/wikiquote are find resources for major male figures in the
historical canon, but don’t tend to have a lot of coverage when it
comes to women philosophers.  I was wondering if any of your readers
might know of a good resource to help with this.

Thanks!

THES on women in philosophy

This is another one of those cases where it’s good that the topic is getting attention, even if the article isn’t ideal. There was so much I said in the interview that didn’t come through, and so many bits pulled out without proper context or argument being given. On the other hand, I am glad that it does mention implicit bias and sexual harassment and doesn’t spend any time entertaining claims of innate gender differences, talking to people who think there’s no problem, or anything like that. One big lesson learned: epistemic humility comes across as befuddlement to journalists. Sigh. Anyway, it’s here.

IAPh Madrid 2014-Call for Papers

XV INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN PHILOSOPHERS (IAPh) SYMPOSIUM

“Philosophy, Knowledge and Feminist Practices”

Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, June 24-27, 2014

Call for Papers

Instituto Franklin – UAH will host the XV International Association of Women Philosophers (IAPh) Symposium: Philosophy, Knowledge and Feminist Practices. This conference aims to be an open forum for debate among specialists and people interested in philosophy, feminism and gender issues, and their relationship with other social, cultural, political, economic, linguistic and pedagogical issues.

Proposals are welcome from philosophers and feminist scholars of all disciplines to present 20 minute papers, in English or Spanish.

Proposals: 300 words maximum through online submission.

 

Important dates:

–       March 1st, 2013: Paper submission is open.

–       June 1st,  2013:  Deadline for paper submission.

Also, further information on the conference and on Paper Submission is available at our website, in English (here) and in Spanish (here).

Alternatively, you can also contact Isabel Albella at isabel.albella@institutofranklin.net

 

General coordinator: Stella Villarmea, Universidad de Alcalá

Organized by: Departament of History and Philosophy, Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Franklin – UAH and International Association of Women Philosophers (IAPh)

 

 

Studies of anomyised applications?

I’ve just been asked by some HR professionals if I know of studies showing the effects of anonymising job applications before review.  I don’t.  Do you? My correspondent is, I think, most interested in studies outside the laboratory on actual hiring processes, but I’ll take anything.

What Dove did

It’s pretty interesting, but best if you look for yourself. (Thanks, Mr Jender!)

Update: As a lot of people have compellingly argued in comments, this would be *much* better if not coming from a company that (a) engages in a lot of this stuff itself; (b) is a mega corporation pretending to be some sort of outsider activist; (c) was actually targeting the people who decide this stuff rather than the art directors.

I still maintain it’s interesting, but in rather a different way than that which was intended.

Student unions and misogyny

“Misogynist prick” runs for UCL Women’s Officer.

A male student who “self-identified” as female before running for the women’s officer position at his university claims he is being persecuted after being censored by his union following a backlash.

Kirk Sneade, an undergraduate at the University College, London (UCL), and his campaign team have been branded “misogynist pricks” by fellow students following his controversial run for candidacy.

The UCL student uploaded a video of a woman being punched by a man and a photo with the slogan “memes are gay” as part of his campaign. Sneade, who is now claiming discrimination, reportedly likened his plight to the communist persecution in Nazi Germany.

What did his self-identification amount to?

Sneade’s original manifesto stated:

Kirk Sneade has self defined as a woman ever since he realised it gave him legal access to the women’s changing rooms at the Bloomsbury gym

And then there’s this tale from women debaters at the Glasgow University Union.

During the debate, a select number of male students, including former committee members and even an ex-president, made sexual comments about our appearance, shouted “shame woman”, booed loudly and questioned “what does a woman know anyway?”. This was not mere heckling, and not related to the content of our speeches. None of the male speakers faced the same treatment. After the debate, a member of this group shouted “get that woman out of my chamber” as my partner Marlena passed.

When female students heard these comments, one confronted the male members and was told to stop being a “frigid bitch”. After the debate, a female Cambridge student rose to confront the perpetrators. The organisers of the tournament, and GUU committee members, begged her to sit down and not “cause trouble”. I myself confronted one of the male members concerned, and the GUU committee, only to be told that it was “to be expected” and “par for the course” that women would be booed in the GUU chamber. When I asked whether they would accept the treatment of racial minority speakers in the same way, I was told “they would be booed too, but we don’t have them here.” The committee accepted we were booed because we were women, not for any other reason, but refused to take action against their members.

Sigh.