2014 and our profession

There is, obviously, a lot that still needs to be done to make our profession the place we’d like it to be. And I find it’s far too easy to let negative stuff dominate my consciousness.  So over the last few days I’ve been asking people to send me lists of good things that have happened in our profession in the last year. Here’s a start. Please add more in comments!

• The Under-represented Philosophers Database is up and running.
• The BPA/SWIP UK Good Practice Scheme was instituted, and has already been adopted by several departments and learned societies/journals.
• MAP (Minorities and Philosophy) has more than doubled its chapters.
• Efforts to unionise adjuncts have been gaining in strength,with an upcoming adjunct walkout day.
• The new blog, What is it Like to be a Person of Colour in Philosophy?.
• The new blog, What is it Like to be a Foreigner in Academia?
• The new blog, What is it Like to be Trans* in Academia?
• The APA Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion has completed its first report, to be published shortly.
• The APA has appointed Task Forces to create a Code of Conduct and a Best Practices Scheme.
• The CSW Site Visit programme has carried out 5 site visits, and has 3 more scheduled.  One of these was to the University of Miami, which writes:

• The faculty and graduate students of the philosophy department at the University of Miami would like to thank the members of the site visit team dispatched by the APA Committee on the Status of Women as part of their Site Visit Program. The team’s visit to our campus (March 2014) was a highly positive experience for the department and we received a very constructive and helpful report. We expect to make a number of changes in our customary practices and departmental policies based on its recommendations. We strongly endorse both the goals and methods of the Site Visit Program and recommend it to other departments that aim to assess and improve climate issues.

• There are starting to be very significant discussions online about socioeconomic class within philosophy.
• The first Mentoring Workshop for graduate women in philosophy was held.
• Feminist Philosophy Quarterly was founded, first issue coming this Spring.
• Market Boost for Women in Philosophy was founded.
• The new Journal of the APA has started, with a great collection of editors.
• There’s been a great NYT series on race and philosophy.
• The Women’s Caucus of the Philosophy of Science Association has had its best attended meeting ever, with 83 people (despite being at 7.30 AM).
• David Chalmers assembled a great list of guidelines for respectful discussion.
• The American Society for Aesthetics has adopted the goals of the Gendered Conference Campaign.
• After decade upon decade of very tiny numbers, in the last five years women have become well-represented on the APA board.
• Projects like Dismantling the Master’s House are tackling the legacy of the British Empire in Academia.
• The Daily Nous, a great addition to the philosophical blogosphere, began in March.
• Many, many people speaking up and taking action– individually or collectively– to improve the profession.
• Finally, as we’re all aware, it’s been a year in which thinking about climate went mainstream in philosophy.  More and more people, at more and more departments, are asking what they can do to create a better environment for women and members of other and overlapping underrepresented groups.  Some of this has been painful and difficult.  Some of it has been joyful and fun.  For the next year, let’s hope the joyful outweighs the painful.  (But let’s go on doing the painful when it really needs to be done.)