APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy
Spring 2016

Call for Papers

Due Date:  November 1, 2015—some leeway—contact the editor

Rethinking the Private Sphere in the Age of the Internet

Serena Parekh will be taking over as editor from Margaret Crouch. The theme for the Fall 2016 Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy is rethinking the private sphere in the age of the Internet.

The personal is political. This is the starting slogan of feminist philosophy. One would think in the age of Twitter and Facebook, this would be truer than ever. Certainly, for some people, topics that couldn’t be mentioned in public are now commonplace – gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are now (often and in more and more places) able to be themselves and speak openly about their experiences. Yet there are still topics that are commonly experienced by people yet rarely discussed philosophically and/or personally: their abortions, miscarriages, sexual assaults, experiences of domestic violence, adultery, failed personal relationships, chronic pain, personal trauma. Why is this the case? Is there an ethical component to expressing thoughts around these issues openly – perhaps its too hard for others to hear our pain and we don’t want to burden them; perhaps we feel ashamed and think that what we experienced is simply wrong or bad; perhaps we think, pragmatically, that there is nothing to be gained. Perhaps it’s just too hard.

Should we return to a more robust and human conception of the personal, stripped away from the “best moments of life” version of ourselves that we post on Facebook? Ought we to be talking philosophically about these deeply personal experiences that shape who we are and how we see the world? Would this enrich feminist scholarship? Our experience as teachers? Philosophically speaking, should we be posting more “ugly selfies”?

On the other hand, perhaps we share too much in our culture and it would be better to return to more privacy, to a genuine private realm that is less socially available. Are we living in an age of over-sharing that obscures the truth of the issues?

This issue of the APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy invites philosophers to think about the way that their experiences of negotiating the private sphere has influenced their scholarship, teaching, ability to mentor, service, etc. The recent issue of the Journal of Social Philosophy on miscarriage, reproductive loss, and fetal death began a conversation about some of these very personal and difficult issues. The spring 2016 issue of the APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy aims to continue and broaden these personal yet political conversations.

Papers on any aspect of the topic are welcome. Because of the nature of the newsletter and the fact that it is only available in electronic form now, articles of any length are acceptable.

Book Reviews

I welcome reviewers for the books listed below. I am looking for reviewers with specific expertise on the subject of the text. Please keep in mind that book reviews are not the same as book reports. They should engage with the subject of the text in the context of other texts on the subject.

If you are interested in reviewing one of these texts, or wish to review a text not included here, please email me at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> with an attached C.V. and an explanation of your particular interest in and qualifications for reviewing the chosen text. If you do not own the book, I will request a copy from the publisher. Deadlines for reviews are negotiable.

Bianchi, Emanuela. The Feminist Symptom: Aleatory Matter in the Aristotelian Cosmos. Fordham University Press, 2014.
Brake, Elizabeth, ed. After Marriage: Rethinking Martial Relationships. Oxford University Press 2015.
Butler, Judith. Senses of the Subject. Fordham University Press, 2015.
David, Miriam E. Feminism, Gender and Universities-Politics, Passion and Pedagogies. Institute of Education, University of London, UK, 2014.
De Paula, Luisa and Raabe, Peter, eds. Women in Philosophical Counseling: The Anima of Thought in Action. Lexington Books, 2015.
Digby, Tom. Love and War: How Militarism Shapes Sexuality and Romance. Columbia University Press, 2014.
Hirschmann, Nancy and Linker, Beth, eds. Civil Disabilities: Citizenship, Membership and Belonging. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015
Holstein, Martha. Women in Late Life: Critical Perspectives on Gender and Age. Rowman and Littlefield, 2015.
Meyers, Diana Tietjens, ed. Poverty, Agency and Human Rights. Oxford University Press, 2014.
West, Robin, ed. Nussbaum and Law. Ashgate, 2015.


The format for submissions of papers and book reviews is in previous issues of the Newsletter. All submissions are anonymously reviewed.

Send submissions to: [log in to unmask]

Serena Parekh
Editor, APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy
Northeastern University, Department of Philosophy and Religion


—
Dr. Serena Parekh
Associate Professor
Editor, The APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy
Director, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Program

Department of Philosophy and Religion
Northeastern University
371 Holmes Hall<x-apple-data-detectors://3>
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Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Office: Holmes 365
Office Phone: 617-373-6151

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