Archive
October 25, 2024
Simone Weil and Work in the Digital Age
Our roundtable on Simone Weil’s philosophy of work brought together scholars A. Rebecca Rozelle-Stone and Sophie Bourgault for an insightful discussion on Weil’s ideas around labor, time, and resilience. Both speakers shared key points before diving into an engaging back-and-forth, moderated by Diane Enns. Dr. Rozelle-Stone explored Weil’s critiques of “resilience” in the modern workplace, while Dr. Bourgault introduced the concept of “slow violence” and how today’s fast-paced, tech-heavy jobs can affect our wellbeing. With thoughtful input from attendees, the evening offered a lively exchange on the relevance of Weil’s ideas in today’s world.
New Directions in Scholarship on Women and Gender in Greek Antiquity
April 5, 2024
In collaboration with the Ancient Philosophy Society and the Canadian Colloquium for Ancient Philosophy, the Society for Women of Ideas hosted a panel exploring new scholarship on women and gender in Greek antiquity. This discussion celebrated the recent release of the Routledge Handbook of Women and Ancient Greek Philosophy, with insights from the co-editors and contributors. The conversation highlighted innovative cross-disciplinary research that broadens the philosophical canon, enriches historical narratives, and offers new perspectives on the legacy of Greek antiquity
February 9, 2024
Rosa Luxemburg Symposium
The Rosa Luxemburg Symposium offered a full day of vibrant discussions, bringing together a diverse group of scholars to explore Luxemburg's enduring insights on democracy, feminism, and political theory. The symposium began with Christian Lotz’s thought-provoking talk on the current crisis of liberal democracies, examining whether Luxemburg’s radical democratic ideas might offer guidance in today’s challenging political climate. Later, Ankica Čakardić discussed Luxemburg’s contributions to Hegelian dialectics and feminist theory, illuminating her unique critiques of bourgeois feminism and political economy. In the afternoon, Jeta Mulaj explored Frigga Haug’s reading of Luxemburg, focusing on her vision of emancipation and its relevance to feminist anti-capitalist movements today. Amy Allen closed the day by delving into Luxemburg’s theory of history and its implications for contemporary critical theory, inviting attendees to reflect on the complexities of her legacy.
Decolonial Feminism in Eastern Europe and the Balkans
December 8, 2023
The Roundtable on Decolonial Feminism in Eastern Europe and the Balkans brought together a panel of esteemed scholars and activists to share unique perspectives on the region’s complex histories and ongoing struggles through a decolonial feminist lens. The discussion featured Elife Krasniqi, an anthropologist and fiction writer whose work examines shifts in the Albanian family structure and the history of Black African communities in the Balkans. Adriana Zaharijević, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Belgrade. Nita Luci, an anthropologist from the University of Prishtina, who explored the intersections of gender, statehood, and post-socialist dynamics in Kosovo, and Madina Tlostanova, a professor of postcolonial feminisms at Linköping University, whose research bridges decolonial thought, Global South feminisms, and creative explorations of change and human complexity.
Together, these scholars fostered a rich discussion that encouraged attendees to rethink regional feminist struggles, histories of resistance, and new possibilities for solidarity. A recording of the event is available for those who would like to watch this engaging conversation.
Singular and Typical: The Autobiographer’s We/I Conundrum
October 5, 2023
A virtual lecture and discussion on Edith Stein’s remarkable work, Life in a Jewish Family, given by Joyce Avrech Berkman, Professor of History Emerita at the University of Massachusetts, and moderated by Antonio Calcagno, King’s University College at Western University
A panel discussion on the life and work of 20th-century German phenomenologist Hedwig Conrad-Martius. Joined by panelists Simona Bertolini (University of Parma), Irene Breuer (University of Wuppertal), Ronny Miron (Bar-Ilan University), and moderated by Antonio Calcagno (King’s University College at Western University).
Hedwig Conrad-Martius: Questions of Being and Phenomenology
April 19, 2023
The Arendt on Earth Project: A Panel Discussion
December 9, 2022
The Society for Women of Ideas invited the Arendt on Earth Project Director, Lexi Neame, and three of the workshop participants, Benjamin Lazier, Peg Birmingham, and Linda Zerilli, for a virtual panel discussion to share what new avenues of thought the project workshops have provoked.
ARENDT ON EARTH was a workshop series held from 2019-2022 at Northwestern University in Chicago (and virtually). It took the elusive concept of “earth” in Arendt’s thought as a provocation to “think what we are doing” in the face of multiple, interconnected crises: climate change; the boundlessness of modern production and consumption; the rule of instrumentality over science; fears of technology out of control; the “defactualization” of the world; and the crises of power and freedom that face democratic peoples and polities today. (Summarized from arendtonearth.com).
Our first event in the Roundtable series A Mind of Her Own, focused on recovering and promoting the work of women philosophers throughout history. Five ancient philosophy specialists were invited to discuss their contributions to a forthcoming volume co-edited by Caterina Pellò and Katharine R. O’Reilly Ancient Women Philosophers: Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives (Cambridge University Press):
Brian Black (Lancaster University), Anna Christensen (Central College), Katharine R. O’Reilly (Toronto Metropolitan University), Caterina Pellò (University of Nottingham), Rosemary Twomey (Queens College CUNY). Moderated by Diane Enns (Toronto Metropolitan University).
Ancient Women Philosophers: Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives
October 21, 2022
María Zambrano: A Life of Ideas, Literature, and Politics
March 19, 2022
A panel discussion on the life and work of the twentieth-century Spanish philosopher María Zambrano. Joined by panelists Karolina Enquist Källgren (Stockholm University), Hugo Moreno (Lewis and Clark College), and Anna Maria Pezzella (Pontifical Lateran University, Vatican City), with moderator Antonio Calcagno (King’s University College at Western University).
Lorraine Hansberry: Between Art and Politics
February 3, 2022
A conversation between Soyica Diggs Colbert and SWI organizing committee member, Brian Phillips, on the life and vision of Lorraine Hansberry.
About the speaker: Soyica Diggs Colbert is the Interim Dean of Georgetown College at Georgetown University and Idol Family Professor of African American Studies and Performing Arts.
November 19-20, 2021
What Would Arendt Say?
The inaugural conference of the Society for Women of Ideas brought together nine Arendt scholars to reflect on what Arendt might say regarding:
the crisis of representative democracy
dignity under conditions of negative solidarity
the protean universe of social media
deportation of Black Britons
refugees and climate change
poetry and who we are
the loss of the private
post-truth
the life and death necessity of thinking