Women Philosophers II

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

The barriers that women have faced in philosophy are no secret to specialists in the field. In the Soviet and Slavic context, women have historically held posts at major philosophical institutions and were integrated into the academic system, but at the same time are rarely represented in the scholarly mechanisms that claim and record the “history of philosophy” for posterity. Case in point: of two recent major publishing initiatives on philosophy in Russia in the 20th century–“Philosophy in Russia in the First Half of the 20th Century” (2008-2017) and “Philosophy of Russia in the Second Half of the 20th Century” (2009-2019)—neither includes a single volume dedicated to a female philosopher. Panelists in this pair of panels seek to address and analyze the ideas of female thinkers as important and understudied contributions to the history of philosophy broadly construed.

Presentations in this roundtable will address the following topics: Anna Kachorovskaya on theoretical biology and infinitesimal values; Liubov’ Aksel’rod as a participant in internal debates on Soviet Marxism and the philosophy of revolution; Maria Yudina in the context of Soviet Fedorovism; Lidiya Ginzburg’s commentary on Gustav Shpet; and Oktiabrina Volkova and the Soviet study of Buddhism.

Sub Unit

• Religion, Philosophy

Chair

• Brian Arthur Armstrong, Augusta U

Roundtable Members

• Dmitry Biriukov, Freie U Berlin (Germany)

• Liisa Bourgeot, U of Helsinki (Finland)

• Alyssa DeBlasio, Dickinson College

• Daniela Steila, U of Turin (Italy)

• Anya Yermakova, Willamette U