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Philosophy

The IU Bloomington Libraries' Philosophy collection supports research and teaching in all branches of philosophy.

Introduction

Philosophy has long centered the perspective and contributions of white male thinkers, especially from Europe and the U.S. In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we have compiled a guide highlighting just a few of the influential AAPI thinkers in order to expand the horizons of philosophy as it is currently understood and learn about the history and achievements of AAPI philosophers. Their works span the areas of Asian American feminism and queer studies, colonial studies, indigenous thought, and justice, among others, and challenge us to think outside of dominant viewpoints. These thinkers represent only a handful of the many important AAPI philosophers of history and today, and we hope you'll continue to learn and explore beyond the scholars and lineages of thought we've highlighted here.

Further Reading & Exploration

Next Steps

As with many of these national commemorations, one month is never enough time to fully honor and celebrate the history and culture of marginalized communities, let alone heal the legacies (and ongoing reality) of harm they've experienced. We recognize that there is much more to be done, that racism and hate against Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals and communities can't be eliminated simply through the creation of resource guides, and that the work of realizing justice won't soon be over. But nevertheless, we keep trying, contributing how we can and building upon the efforts of those who came before us, and we continue to learn from and with one another.

If you'd like to engage more deeply with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, IU Libraries have created a number of interrelated resources and features to provide more holistic coverage of this remembering. You'll find those, below:

Prominent AAPI Philosophers

A selection of Asian American and Pacific Islander philosophers, along with a summary of their research areas and interests:

  • Jaegwon Kim  Philosophy of mind, metaphysics, action theory, epistemology, philosophy of science (Brown University)
  • David H. Kim  Moral psychology (especially emotion theory), moral and political philosophy, Asian/Comparative philosophy (especially Confucianism), critical race and feminist philosophy, decolonial/postcolonial thought (University of San Fransisco) 
  • Emily Lee  Phenomenology (especially of Maurice Merleau-Ponty), feminist philosophy, philosophy of race (California State University, Fullerton)
  • Lynn Fujiwara  Asian American Studies, women of color criticisms and queer of color critique, immigration, gender and sexuality studies, media and cultural studies, social policy (University of Oregon)
  • Carol Lee  Cognitive science, epistemology, implicit bias, philosophy of psychology, philosophy of science, science and technology, social organization of science (University of Washington)
  • Gary Mar  Logic, philosophy of mathematics, analytic metaphysics, history of analytic philosophy, philosophy of language and linguistics, philosophy and computation, Asian American philosophy, philosophy of religion (Stony Brook University)
  • Kyoo Lee 20th c. continental philosophy and early modern philosophy, feminist, gender, and queer theory, critical race theory and postcolonial studies, Asian and Asian American philopoetics/textual aesthetics, literary theory and comparative literature translation studies (CUNY) 
  • Bo Mou  Metaphilosophy, metaphysics, philosophy of language, logic and philosophy of logic, Asian philosophy, epistemology (San Jose State University)
  • Hao Wang  Logic, mathematics, philosophy of mathematics, Gödel, anthropologism (The Rockefeller University)
  • Yarran Hominh  Moral psychology, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law, ethics, colonialism, early modern European philosophy, Asian philosophy (particularly Buddhism and Confucianism), critical Asian American philosophy, philosophy of the social sciences (Bard College) 
  • Minh Nguyen  Philosophy of mind, theory of mind, aesthetics, ethics, political philosophy, creative writing (Florida Gulf Coast University) 
  • Georgina Stewart  Research centers on the nexus of between language, knowledge, culture, and education and aligns with Kaupapa Māori, feminist and poststructuralist philosophical traditions (Auckland University of Technology)
  • Krushil Watene  Ethics, politics, and Indigenous philosophy; in particular, the intersections of diverse philosophical traditions, trans-disciplinarity, and the role of local communities for global change. Primary areas of expertise include mainstream theories of well-being, development, and justice (particularly the capability approach), intergenerational justice, and Māori philosophy (University of Auckland) 
  • Konai Helu Thaman  Education (indigenous and teacher education), curriculum development, sustainable development, (with a focus on the Pacific context) (University of the South Pacific)
  • Willy Huanduo  Philosophy of Bernard Narokobi (judge, poet, philosopher, writer of the Melanesian Way, and first chairman of the Law Reform Commission prior to and during the independence of Papua New Guinea) (University of Papua New Guinea)
  • Sanjay Lal Gandhi, peace studies, non-western philosophy, environmental ethics, philosophy of religion, Hume (Clayton State University)
  • Veena Howard Asian religious traditions (Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism), philosophy of M.K. Gandhi, animal ethics, interfaith religions (Fresno State University)
  • Vrinda Dalmiya  Epistemology, feminist philosophy, environmental philosophy (University of Hawaii)
  • Prasanta S. Bandyopadhyay  Applications of statistical/probabilistic notions to long-standing conundrum of methodological issues, history of philosophy (modern), epistemology, Indian philosophy (Montana State University)
  • Celia Bardwell-Jones  Feminist philosophy, American philosophy, philosophy of race and cultural diversity (University of Hawaii at Hilo)
  • Kenneth Aizawa  Philosophy of neuroscience, philosophy of psychology, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, science, logic, and mathematics (Rutgers University)

Books

Scholarly Work

AAPI Philosopher Experience

The voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals on their experiences in the field of philosophy.

The Pacific Islander Student Experience

Video: The Pacific Islander Student Experience. Student Affairs Now Host (2022).


Xenophobia, Xenophilia, and Anti-Asian Racism

Video: David Kim (University of San Francisco): Xenophobia, Xenophilia, and Anti-Asian Racism. CU Denver Philosophy Department (2022).