APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian-American Philosopers And
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NEWSLETTER | The American Philosophical Association Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies FALL 2014 VOLUME 14 | NUMBER 1 FROM THE EDITORS Emily S. Lee and David H. Kim ARTICLES Carole J. Lee Asian Americans, Positive Stereotyping, and Philosophy Samantha Brennan Micro-Inequities and Asian American Philosophers Molly Paxton Sustainable Diversity within Philosophy: Looking Beyond a Bottom-Up Model Gary Mar The Problem of Absence: Some Personal Reflections VOLUME 14 | NUMBER 1 FALL 2014 © 2014 BY THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION ISSN 2155-9708 APA NEWSLETTER ON Asian and Asian American Philosophers and Philosophies EMILY S. LEE AND DAVID H. KIM, CO-EDITORS VOLUME 14 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2014 and the profession; and vol. 2, no. 2, spring 2003, on Asian FROM THE EDITORS American philosophy as philosophy).5 Without meaning to sound negative, or to downplay the hard work of so Emily S. Lee many dedicated to this cause of increasing diversity and CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY AT FULLERTON challenging traditional hierarchies in the discipline, very little has changed in the profession since these were David H. Kim published. UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO It appears, then, that reasonable progress with respect to In recent years, diversity and hierarchy in the polity and genuine diversity cannot be achieved without concerted in the profession of philosophy have been conceptualized and institutional effort for some time into the foreseeable with increasing sophistication. For just a sampling, consider future. Towards this goal, we have attempted to address such books as Linda Martín Alcoff’sVisible Identities: the problem of underrepresentation and the dearth of Race, Gender, and the Self, Sally Haslanger’s Resisting empirical data on the status of Asians and Asian Americans Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique, and Carole in philosophy in this edition of the newsletter. Admittedly, Pateman and Charles Mills’s Contract and Domination.1 The this is difficult, but the majority of the articles gathered here urgency of diversification and at least the questioning of at least cull from what little data exists on this community. existing hierarchies is starting to generate more attention in mainstream publications and professional meetings. In the first essay, “Asian Americans, Positive Stereotyping, Consider, for example, Martín Alcoff’s and Haslanger’s and Philosophy,” Carole J. Lee offers an explanation as to successive presidencies of the American Philosophical why Asians and Asian Americans, though having a healthy Association’s Eastern Division (2012-2013 and 2013-2014, representation in science and math doctoral programs, respectively) and the provocative diversity-themed content are clearly woefully underrepresented in the humanities. of their presidential addresses. In addition, specially Through analyzing the relation of stereotypes and counter- focused, diversity-enhancing groups or societies—such stereotypes about philosophers and Asian Americans, Lee as the Society for Women in Philosophy, the Caribbean provides insights into how some of the stereotypes that are Philosophical Association, the Collegium of Black Women perceived normally as positive among philosophers can Philosophers, and the Continental and Comparative be difficult to navigate for Asian Americans and present a Philosophy Circle—have emerged, giving marginalized distinctive political dilemma for them. In doing so, she also peoples or traditions in the profession a home, and offers us, more broadly, alens to understand the structure sometimes a platform for advocacy. of Asian and Asian American underrepresentation. These sorts of developments seem to herald long-awaited The second essay, “Micro-Inequities and Asian American transformations in the profession. Without denying some Philosophers,” by Samantha Brennan, builds upon the overall progress, arguably we still have a long road to travel emerging work on micro-inequities and the work on implicit before we move well past beginnings and approach our bias to show how an analysis of “small” problems and their democratic ideals. The demographics clearly reveal that solutions can provide “large” insight into the everyday women, minorities, and non-Western traditions continue reality and social climate of departments and professional to be significantly underrepresented in the profession.2 settings. In particular, she discusses the problem of Many continue to report, and continue to feel inhibited in xenophobic “micro-invalidations” and stereotyped reporting, a chilly or demeaning climate in departments and communication styles that are commonly made to be professional meetings.3 Furthermore, across the continent, an issue for Asians and Asian Americans. Moreover, she curricula and requirements for philosophy majors and for advocates an institutional response to these micro- philosophy graduate students continue to be profoundly inequities while also suggesting some more individualized shaped by a white, male, Eurocentric canon.4 ethical strategies in the form of micro-affirmations. More than a decade ago, the APA committee on Asian and The third essay, “Sustainable Diversity within Philosophy: Asian American philosophers and philosophies published Looking Beyond a Bottom-Up Model,” by Molly Paxton, special editions of its newsletter that addressed some of critically engages with the social science literature on the the concerns expressed in this volume (e.g., vol. 1, no. 1, educational benefits of diversity. She argues that current fall 2001, on Asian philosophy as philosophy; vol. 1, no. models of diversity have conceptualized diversity too 2, spring 2001, on Asian and Asian American philosophers narrowly in their focus on proportional representation and APA NEWSLETTER | ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN PHILOSOPHERS AND PHILOSOPHIES the maturation or generic cognitive benefits of diversity. She contends that such models must go further to promote ARTICLES forms of intellectual diversity that emerge when previously marginalized identities are now included in the classroom. Asian Americans, Positive Stereotyping, And Paxton maintains that the specifically epistemic benefits of diversity must be made sustainable through a top-down and Philosophy approach, specifically through the institutional support of teachers who can make the epistemic benefits of diversity Carole J. Lee a reality. Such corrections in our models can clarify why we UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, [email protected] need to ask about Asian and Asian American philosophy in addition to Asian and Asian American representation. What is the current status of Asian Americans in philosophy? How do Asian Americans fare in comparison to other The fourth essay, “The Problem of Absence: Some Personal minority groups? And, what professional strategies might Reflections,” by Gary Mar does not utilize empirical data they use (more or less successfully) in response to their while considering the status of Asian and Asian American counterstereotypical status in philosophy? In this piece, I philosophers but is included here to invite perspective on will address these questions empirically by extrapolating the value of diversity and the value of seeking diversity. In from available demographic, survey, and experimental sharing his own journey of the growth of his interests from studies. This analysis will be too fast and loose, but I offer logic to Asian American studies, Mar demonstrates how his it in the spirit of constructing a broad-brushed sketch— initial foray into diversity questions led him to a broadened painted from a pallet of variegated data—for others to and deepened interest not only about marginalized critique, improve, and displace. specializations within philosophy but in the plight and transformative potential of other under-represented 1. ASIAN AMERICANS AND POSITIVE communities as well. Truly the concerns of diversity and STEREOTYPING justice are infectious. And it should be noted here that when the APA began to form a committee on the status of Asians One feature that is quite distinctive about Asian Americans some fifteen years ago, it was Gary Mar’s advocacy that as a minority group is that they are stereotyped in positive enlarged the committee’s mission (and title) so that it now rather than negative terms. Asian Americans get explicitly includes Asian Americans and Asian American philosophy. stereotyped as mathematical, ambitious, intelligent, hardworking, and self-disciplined. They are thought to do Clearly, challenges to diversity and affirmations of better in educational attainment, occupational prestige, hierarchies persist in the discipline of philosophy. We hope and economic earnings.1 that the dearth of knowledge about exactly why Asians and Asian Americans are so underrepresented in the Census and other data corroborate the general aptness of field of philosophy, and the lack of strategies to address this “model minority” stereotype. Asian Americans have this vacuum, serve not to discourage people, but inspire higher median household incomes than whites, Hispanics, concerted, intelligent effort to improve this current state or blacks.2 Asian Americans receive bachelor’s degrees (6.4 of affairs. percent) and doctorate degrees (9.4 percent) at rates that exceed the rate with which Asian Americans are found in NOTES the general population (5.8 percent).3 And when you look 1. Linda Martín Alcoff,Visible Identities: Race, Gender, and the at the disciplines that Asian Americans major in, they are Self (New York: Oxford University