University of Wolverhampton philosopher’s paper in “Best of 2020” list

Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Politics, Meena Dhanda’s article ‘Philosophical Foundations of Anti-Casteism’ was included in the Oxford University Press’ ‘Best of Philosophy 2020’ list.

Professor Dhanda’s research focus has been on understanding injustices, prejudices and misrepresentations suffered by powerless groups and her philosophical writing in social, political and moral philosophy is empirically informed.

She said: “The research for the article ‘Philosophical Foundations of Anti-Casteism’ is closely tied to my teaching.

“In our undergraduate philosophy programme, now offered in a new degree Philosophy Religion and Ethics, I teach a module called ‘Self and Other: the demands of social justice’ that draws on a global selection of thinkers. Students study Dr B.R Ambedkar and M.K. Gandhi alongside Frantz Fanon, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre and Iris Young.

“One of the forms of injustice we discuss is ‘graded inequality’ connected with casteism, which we consider in comparison with racism.

“I explain why inherited systems of social organisation may require critical scrutiny. To develop ethical social solidarities, we must understand what anti-casteism and anti-racism entail.

“I am delighted that my paper on this new subject has been read so widely and received so well. It tells us that there is certainly an appetite for decolonised philosophy of the kind we offer at University of Wolverhampton.”

Professor Dhanda has previously spoken on the topic at the prestigious Aristotelian Society, founded in London in 1880, and this research was published in their journal Proceedings of The Aristotelian Society in April 2020.