Institutional Change Through "Diversity Initiatives"

The case of philosophy in the USA

Yoko Arisaka

University of Hildesheim

pp. 153-161

in: Yoko Arisaka, Anke Graness (eds), Histories of Philosophy in a Global Perspective, East Asian Journal of Philosophy 2 (1), 2022.

Abstract

This paper is a summary of the history of various "diversity initiatives" of the American Philosophical Association over the last 20 years. These initiatives, created by various committees created by the APA, helped to reshape the overall contents of curricula and policies of hiring in philosophy in the USA. It also helped academic departments to rethink the parameters of the meaning of the term "philosophy" as currently used.