Call for Contributions

The APA Committee on the Status of Women is pleased to announce publication of the Feminism and Philosophy Newsletter. The purpose of the Newsletter is to provide information about recent work in the area of feminist philosophy, listing new publications, and providing book reviews. It will include discussions of how to integrate or “mainstream” this material into traditional philosophy courses. It will also provide a forum for discussing the status of women in the profession.

The editor invites contributions to the Newsletter. We are interested in literature overviews, book reviews, suggestions for curriculum revisions or transformations, discussions of feminist pedagogical methods, and so on. It is our intention that the Newsletter serve as a resource both for feminist philosophers and for colleagues whose main interests have not been in the area of feminist philosophy.

Manuscripts, proposals, suggestions, and all other communications and inquiries should be addressed to: Nancy Tuana, Editor, Arts and Humanities, JO 31, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75083-0688.

SWIP Newsletter: Announcements or items for the SWIP Newsletter for 1987-88 should be sent to the Editor, Marilyn Friedman, 2550 Yeager Road, Apt. 20-11, West Lafayette, IN 47906. Ph. (317) 463-7825.

A Gay and Lesbian Caucus is now being organized within the American Philosophical Association. The purpose of this caucus will be both to foster the philosophical study of gay and lesban issues and to give a distinct voice to gay and lesbian concerns within the Association. For more information, contact: Prof. John Pugh, Department of Philosophy, John Carroll University, Union Heights, OH 44118.

1987 Index/Directory of Women's Media, containing listings for 525 women's periodicals, as well as women's presses, publishers, news services, radio-TV, film groups, book stores, and more, is available for $12.00 from: Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press, 3306 Ross Place, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, (202) 966-7783.

Hypatia T-Shirts: T-Shirts featuring the image from the cover of Hypatia are available in various color/fabric/size combinations. Write to the Hypatia office for details: Hypatia, Box 1437, SIUE, Edwards-ville, IL 62026-1437.

Society for the Study of Women Philosophers. An organizational meeting for the purpose of founding a Society for the Study of Women Philosophers will be held in New York at the December, 1987 meeting of the American Philosophical Association. The following is a tentative and preliminary statement of the purposes of the Society:

The first purpose of the Society is to create and sustain a “Republic of Letters,” in which women are both citizens and sovereigns. To that end, we shall commemorate women philosophers of the past as well as of the present by engaging their texts, whether critically or appreciatively, in a dialogical interchange. In this way, both we and our sisters from the past can also become interlocutors for our sisters in the future.

The second purpose of the Society is to examine the nature of philosophy, specifically in the light of women's contributions to the discipline. Thus, papers are welcome which reflect upon the methodology and style of women philosophers themselves, or which compare the texts of women with those of men.

Furthermore, since philosophical method can be distinguished from philosophical understanding, it is possible that philosophical understanding may be reached in a variety of ways not usually considered strictly philosophical. The Society, therefore, will also explore the nature of philosophy by comparing texts that have traditionally been defined as strictly philosophical with those, especially by women, which have been considered marginal to the discipline, e.g., mystical, poetical, fictional or autobiographical texts. We thus hope to enlarge and enrich the resources of everyone who is concerned with the central and most basic questions of human life.

The discussion and emendation of this statement, along with the drafting of a constitution and the election of a Board of Officers, will take place at the December meeting. The Society is to be open to women and men from all disciplines. Anyone who would like to become a member please contact: Veda Cobb-Stevens, Department of Philosophy, University of Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854.

Acknowledgement: Betty Safford, guest editor of the Hypatia special issue, “Philosophy and Women Symposium,” wishes to express her appreciation to Professor Sandra Sutphen of the Department of Political Science, California State University, Fullerton, for her helpful and detailed editorial comments on one of the papers for that issue.

Job Announcement: The Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, assistant professor, tenure track, begining fall semester, 1988. 8 courses/year (4/semester) undergraduate only. ADS or ADC: non-Western philosophy, comparative religion, philosophy of religion, Native American philosophy, applied ethics. Specialization in one or more preferred. Teaching responsibilities will include frequent sections of Introduction to Philosophy, ABD in Philosophy required prior to application, Ph.D. preferred. Experience preferred. Some summer work available. Send complete dossier to: Dr. Paul E. Rasmussen, Chairperson, Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, 1725 State Street, LaCrosse, WI 54601. Deadline for application: July 15, 1987, or should the position not be filled, the effective date for application will be extended one week and thereafter at one week intervals until the position is filled.

Errata: The Hypatia Editor regrets the typographical errors in the following items from the Reference section of Nancy Fraser's, “Women, Welfare and the Politics of Need Interpretation,”Hypatia 2:1, p. 120.