Annual Conference - Society for Women in Philosophy Ireland

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SWIP Panel

Liverpool academics and students visited Dublin for the annual conference for the Society for Women in Philosophy Ireland.

This year's Society for Women in Philosophy Ireland conference was co-hosted with Women In Parenthesis.

Women in Parenthesis is a British Academy funded collaborative research project, run by Dr Rachael Wiseman (Liverpool, Philosophy) and Dr Clare MacCumhaill (Durham, Philosophy). The project is examining the work and lives of four women philosophers who made a significant contribution to twentieth-century philosophy: Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley and Iris Murdoch. You can listen to Rachael and Mary Midgley discussing the group on The Philosopher Zone.

The 6th Annual SWIP-Ireland conference took place at University College Dublin 17-19 May and was SWIP-Ireland’s biggest event to date.
On the programme was a panel session run by Drs Wiseman and MacCumhaill. This panel set out the activities and findings of In Parenthesis and outlined future plans and collaborations. It included a Q&A with graduates who were centrally involved in the project at its outset and artist Carol Sommer reading from her Iris Murdoch-inspired 'Cartography for Girls' (carolsommer.net).

Dr Yiota Vassilopoulou (Liverpool, Philosophy) spoke on 'Women Unboxed: The Myth of Pandora in Plotinus', and explored in her paper connections between Murdoch's and Plotinus' views on the role of myth in philosophy. Dr Siobhan Chapman (Liverpool, English) gave a keynote on Susan Stebbing, a central figure in early analytic philosophy. Also attending from Liverpool was 2nd Year Student Alexandra McPartland. Alex will be running an In Parenthesis reading group for UG students at Liverpool next academic year.

Thanks to SOTA for support for the event and participation through a Research Development Initiative Fund grant. Watch this space for further news on the project publications, funding and future collaborations!

And massive thanks to Professor Maria Baghramian and SWIP-Ireland for organising such a brilliant three days and for University College Dublin for looking after us all!