Released from prison?; Thinking in translation; Three events on Tuesday!
A collection of writings from the “Reimagining Re-entry Public Philosophy Group”; events on thinking together, punishment, border violence, and forgiveness
Dear all,
I thought I would start with a few thoughts about finances. As you probably know, The Philosopher is unfunded and relies on your support to keep doing the work we do. It is a constant struggle to break even and requires an immense amount of hard work - almost all of it unpaid. If you are affiliated with a university and would be willing to email your philosophy librarian to recommend an institutional subscription with The Philosopher, that would be incredibly helpful for us. You can find out more here and you can use this form to email your librarian.
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Your Sunday Read
“Released from Prison?”: A collection of writings from the “Reimagining Re-entry Public Philosophy Group”.
This wonderful collection of writings comes from a group of post-incarcerated individuals and philosophy professors (with experience of prison teaching) who meet to discuss imprisonment and re-entry. It is the lead piece in our new issue on “Punishment”. The writings explore themes related to selfhood and home, power and oppression, and the challenges people face in getting out of prison and making their way in the outside world. The collection is interspersed with photographs from Sara Bennett, a former public defender who now photographs women with life sentences, both inside and outside prison, as a way to draw attention to the problems of mass incarceration. You can read the essays and reflections here.
Monday Event: 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm UK
Thinking Together through Translation
Adriana Zaharijevic in conversation with Jana Bacevic
Today, English is arguably the dominant language of academic knowledge production. For many scholars, this means that not only reading or writing, but thought itself – and particularly thinking with others – happens in a language other than their own. While there is increasing attention to the colonial and imperial roots of the dominance of English as the language of scholarly communication, we less often reflect on what this means for thinking across linguistic differences.
In this event, philosopher and political theorist Adriana Zaharijevic will reflect on thinking in translation, across political, cultural, and geographical contexts, and the challenges of “translating” or bringing contemporary theorists like Judith Butler to places commonly seen as (semi)periphery. You can find out more and register here.
Print issue launch event #1!
Tuesday at 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm UK
Questioning Punishment
Henrique Carvalho and Anastasia Chamberlen with Andy West
What is punishment? Who are punishment’s targets and subjects? How is punishment perpetuated and experienced? When and where does punishment unfold? Why do we punish? This event will question punishment as concept, social phenomenon and contemporary practice. It will unpack punishment’s nature and the assumptions that underpin it, examine its targets, objectives and implications, locate punishment within its social contexts, and unsettle the idea that there is something commonsensical, necessary and unavoidable about punitive justice. You can find out more and register here.
Print issue launch event #2!
Tuesday at 2pm PT/5pm ET/10pm UK
Border Violence, Displacement, and Exile
Omid Tofighian and Elahe Zivardar
In 2013, a year after graduating from university, Elahe Zivardar was forced to flee her country and seek asylum in Australia. Instead of receiving safety, she was exiled by the Australian government to the remote and impoverished Pacific island nation of Nauru and held there for six years. Since being released, Zivardar has worked closely with scholar-activist Omid Tofighian. Tofighian had travelled to Nauru many times (he was eventually blacklisted, refused entry, and deported as a result of his work) and has extensive knowledge about Australia’s onshore and offshore detention industry. In this event, they will discuss how their collaborative work seeks to raise awareness, expose a corrupt and cruel system, and help to destabilise a system designed for oppression, domination and submission. You can find out more and register here.
Print issue launch event #3!
Tuesday at 4pm PT/7pm ET/9am (Wed.) AET
Punishment and (Real) Forgiveness
Luke Russell in conversation with Daniel Nellor
It is tempting to think that we already have a clear understanding of the nature of forgiveness. All of us have been wronged plenty of times, so responding to wrongdoing is a familiar part of our lives. Forgiveness is a way in which a victim can move on from having been wronged. But not all forms of moving on count as forgiving. Indeed, the very idea of forgiveness is open to numerous competing philosophical interpretations. In this event, philosopher Luke Russell will help us navigate this unwieldy terrain, so that next time we hear someone recommending that we forgive those who wrong us, we are ready to seek clarification: What exactly do you mean by “forgive”? You can find out more and register here.
Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, wherever you are.
Anthony Morgan
Editor