The philosophical interest on the topic of disability is fairly new and, given this, a lot of issues are yet to be explored. The aim of this conference is to bring together postgraduate students who work in this area and who engage with questions such as: disabled or differently-abled? What is a disability? How should we think about disabilities? What is the relationship between a disability and the context in which it occurs? What are the metaphysically relevant aspects of disability? How should disability be seen from a political point of view? Is there an ethics of disability? What is the place of a phenomenology of disability? What ought to be changed in the way we see and consider disability? etc. Everyone interested in the subject is invited and welcome to attend the conference.
This event is organised by the Leeds 'Minorities & Philosophy' chapter. MAP is a collection of students in English-speaking philosophy departments that aims to examine and address issues of minority participation in academic philosophy. Though primarily led by graduate students, MAP also relies on faculty support and encourages undergraduate participation.
Through MAP's network, students can exchange ideas on topics related to minorities and philosophy, meet and support peers, and learn from other philosophy departments. MAP chapters can choose to provide their respective departments with regular feedback on the department climate.
Though the format of MAP varies from school to school, each chapter aims broadly at addressing (a) minority issues in the profession, (b) theoretical issues regarding philosophy of gender, race, sexual orientation, class, disability, native language, etc, and (c) philosophy done from minority perspectives. Meeting formats include: external or internal speakers, reading groups, film screenings, mentorship events for undergraduates or graduates, panel discussions, practical workshops (e.g., on communication techniques, navigating stereotype threat or implicit bias). Once a year, representatives from each participating school meet to discuss their chapter's progress.
In the short term, MAP provides a forum for students to discuss these topics and connect with interested peers. In the long term, we hope that MAP will contribute to improved department cultures and facilitate increased participation of underrepresented groups in academic philosophy.
Minorities and Philosophy: www.mapforthegap.com/
MAP@Leeds website: mapleeds.weebly.com/
MAP@Leeds Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/mapleeds/