Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to the fundamental equality and dignity of all members of our community. We would like to make the Faculty of Philosophy welcoming to everyone. We believe that Philosophy should be fully inclusive and we aim to provide a working, learning and social environment in which everyone is treated with respect, so that everyone can reach their full potential.

The Faculty's work in this area is overseen by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, which is chaired by the EDI Officer, Professor Alison Hills (St John’s College). The committee meets once a term, before the Faculty Board Meeting to which it reports.

Please feel free to approach Alison at any time with any business you would like the EDI Committee to consider or any ideas you have for new initiatives. We actively welcome input from the wider Faculty community into the ongoing work of the EDI Committee.

In addition, Alison holds two EDI Office Hours each term, between 2 and 3pm on Friday in weeks 3 and 7. She is very happy to meet people at these office hours, but she is also available to speak at any time. Please do email to ask for an appointment. Alison frequently liaises with other EDI Officers across the Humanities Division and sends regular email updates with information and resources relating to EDI.

Any EDI questions or concerns can also be directed to the Humanities Division's EDI Officer, Machilu van Bever Donker.

EDI Resources

The range of resources relating to EDI is vast, but here are some links to material you might find useful. Please feel free to email the EDI Officer with further suggestions, and note that there are additional and more specific links for students available on the Student Welfare and Information for Students with Disabilities pages.

 

Within Oxford

There are very many support networks across the University, for staff, students and both, that are intended to help you navigate specific EDI questions or concerns. Please see the below links for more information and contact details for some of these initiatives, but a comprehensive list is available via the Humanities Division.

The EDI Hub Bulletin is available within the University, distributed fortnightly during term time (but less frequently during vacations). It features information, profiles, resources, funding opportunities, case studies and events relating to any aspect of EDI at the University of Oxford. If you would like the Bulletin delivered directly to your inbox, please send a blank email to: edi-hub-newsletter-subscribe@maillist.admin.ox.ac.uk

The Neurodiversity at Oxford project, supported by the Oxford Diversity Fund and organised by Dr Laura Seymour and Prof Siân Grønlie, supports, celebrates and empowers neurodivergent staff and students.

The Oxford and Colonialism website brings together the wide range of initiatives across the collegiate University engaging with its colonial past and its ongoing manifestations.

 

Beyond Oxford

To find out more about EDI in professional philosophy, see this article by Fiona Jenkins, originally published in the Oxford Philosophy magazine in 2015.

SWIP UK is an organisation of UK women in philosophy, including students and professionals, working within or outside academic departments, which aims to end discrimination against women in philosophy. SWIP UK has also worked with the British Philosophical Association to develop guidelines for good practice within academic philosophy.

 

Diversity in the Faculty of Philosophy

  • In 2020, the Faculty introduced a new undergraduate paper in Indian Philosophy. You can read about its launch in this article by Jessica Frazier in the 2021 edition of Oxford Philosophy.
  • Philiminality (from philosophy + liminality) is a student-run organization promoting cross-cultural and interdisciplinary philosophy. Its aims are described in this Oxford Philosophy piece by Lea Cantor and Justin Holder (2023).

  • Joyce Mitchell Cook, the first black American woman to receive a PhD in philosophy, studied at St Hilda’s College from 1955 to 1957. The Faculty now supports an annual lecture in her name which is described in this Oxford Philosophy overview. St Hilda’s has also established a graduate scholarship fund for BAME students to come to Oxford to study philosophy, and you can find out more about this initiative here.