Philosophy, Disability and Social Change 4 (#PhiDisSocCh4) comprises presentations by disabled philosophers whose cutting-edge research challenges members of the philosophical community to (1) think more critically about the metaphysical and epistemological status of disability; (2) closely examine how philosophy of disability is related to the tradition and discipline of philosophy; and (3) seriously consider how philosophy and philosophers contribute to the pervasive inequality and subordination that disabled people confront throughout society.

This year’s conference will feature a 2-hour book launch of The Bloomsbury Guide to Philosophy of Disability, a groundbreaking collection edited by Shelley Lynn Tremain. Registrants of the conference will receive discount codes to purchase the book at a discount. Several copies of this revolutionary book will be given away as prizes during the conference!

In addition, this year’s conference will include a 2-hour roundtable workshop facilitated by Melinda Hall and Johnathan Flowers. The workshop is designed to enable its participants to jointly identify the mechanisms that produce the continuing exclusion of disabled philosophers from the profession of philosophy and to collectively consider strategies to transform the current professional and institutional position of disabled philosophers.

In its entirety, Philosophy, Disability and Social Change 4 (#PhiDisSocCh4) will highlight the diversity and range of approaches to critical philosophical work on disability and showcase the heterogeneity with respect to race, gender, nationality, sexuality, gender identity, culture, age and class of the community of disabled philosophers.

Philosophy, Disability and Social Change 4 (#PhiDisSocCh4) is generously supported by the Alfred Landecker Chair in the School of Government at The University of Oxford.

The conference programme is provided below. Registration is free and open to all. To register for the conference, go here.

All times shown are in GMT (UK afternoons). The conference will take place online. Captioning will be available.

Programme

Day 1

Thursday, December 14

13:00-13:05 Welcome and Opening Remarks

Jonathan Wolff (Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University) and Shelley Tremain (BIOPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY)

13:05-13:55 Session 1

Identifying Principles of Justice for Emancipatory Research with Autistics

Presenter: Amandine Catala (Université du Québec à Montréal)

Chair: Jonathan Wolff (Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University)

13:55-14:05 BREAK

14:05-14:55 Session 2

Counting Disability Stories

Presenter: C Dalrymple-Fraser (University of Toronto)

Chair: Cecilea Mun (Independent scholar)

14:55-15:05 BREAK

15:05-15:55 Session 3

Welfarism for Thee, but Not for Me: Intergenerational Erasure and Building
Addict and Mad Joy

Presenter: T. Virgil Murthy (Carnegie Mellon University)

Chair: Tracy Isaacs (Western University)

15:55-16:05 BREAK

16:05-18:00 Book Launch

Launch of The Bloomsbury Guide to Philosophy of Disability
(Bloomsbury Academic)

Chair: Editor Shelley Tremain (BIOPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY)

Authors: Mich Ciurria (University of Missouri at St. Louis)

               Tommy Curry (University of Edinburgh)

               Emily R. Douglas (Vanier College/Athabasca University)

               Gen Eickers (University of Bayreuth)

               Lori Gruen (Wesleyan University)

               Stephanie Jenkins (Oregon State University)

               Sofia Jeppsson (Umeå University)

               Corinne Lajoie (Pennsylvania State University)

               Nathan Moore (Unaffiliated)

               Andrea Pitts (University of Buffalo)

               Joshua St. Pierre (University of Alberta)

               Desiree Valentine (Marquette University)

Day 2

Friday December 15

13:00-13:05 Welcome and Preliminary Remarks

Jonathan Wolff (Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University) and Shelley Tremain (BIOPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY)

13:05-13:55 Session 1

Podcasting as Disabled Praxis

Presenter: Élaina Gauthier-Mamaril (University of Edinburgh)

Chair: Jonathan Wolff (Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University)

13:55-14:05 BREAK

14:05-14:55 Session 2

Neoliberalism is an Ableism: On Human Capital and the Eugenic Commitment

Presenter: Will Conway (Stonybrook University)

Chair: Shelley Tremain (BIOPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY)

14:55-15:05 BREAK

15:05-15:55 Session 3

Encountering Fat Denigration: Spatial Allowances and Victim Reversibility

Presenter: Kristin Rodier (Athabasca University)

Chair: August Gorman (Oakland University)

15:55-16:05 BREAK

16:05-18:00 Situating Disability: The Factors and Politics of Disability Exclusion in Philosophy and Beyond

Facilitators: Melinda Hall (Stetson University) and Johnathan Flowers (California State University-Northridge) 

Participants: Robert Chapman (Durham University)

                       Jane Dryden (Mount Allison University)

                       Elvis Imafidon (SOAS)

                       Julie Maybee (Lehman College, CUNY)

                       Maeve McKeown (University of Groningen)