As part of its 2022 Speaker Series, the Department of Philosophy at Case Western Reserve University invites campus community members to attend “In the Mix with Feminist Theory and Racial Justice, Making Self and Home” at 6 p.m. EDT on Zoom Wednesday, April 6.
Hear from Cori Wong, a speaker, writer, educator, and consultant with training and leadership experience related to intersectional feminism, antiracism, social justice, and inclusive culture change.
The philosophy of race has been an ever-growing topic of research in the field of philosophy since the rise of African-American philosopher Alain Locke during the Harlem Renaissance. In recent years, it has grown to include the philosophy of non-whites across the globe, including thinkers such as DuBois, Gandhi, Fanon, Edward Said, Anna J. Cooper, Angela Davis, Cornel West, George Yancy, Falguni Sheth, Achille Mbembe, Charles Mills, Martin Luther King and Kwasi Wiredu, to name a few.
Beyond binaries and full of ambiguity, locating oneself within a mixed-race identity can be confounding, especially if one is disconnected from the cultures of their ancestors while simultaneously committed to dismantling white supremacy. This talk presents a narrative of personal sense-making about being half-Asian, half-white, growing up in whiteness as a fourth-generation American with Chinese heritage in the U.S., and how theory can provide developmental means for self, home, and liberation to anyone who assumes their own path for racial justice.
To request the Zoom link, email Nathalie Nya at nxn219@case.edu.
About the speaker
Values of love, creativity, and freedom inform the means and ends of Cori Wong’s work. Prior to launching Positive Philosophy Consulting LLC, she led equity and inclusion initiatives as assistant vice president for diversity at Colorado State University.
Wong earned a dual-title PhD in philosophy and women’s studies from the Pennsylvania State University, and a BA in philosophy and religious studies from Colorado State University. Her dissertation, Positive Philosophy: A Feminist Practice of Affective Therapy and Political Resistance, explores the liberatory potential of critically reflecting in ways that excite, energize, inspire, connect, motivate, and heal.
About the speaker series
The Department of Philosophy Speaker Series 2022 is developed in conjunction with the course “Special Topics: Racial Justice and Philosophy” (PHIL 315/415), taught by Nathalie Nya, in order to not only diversify the curriculum in the Department of Philosophy, but also to invite the campus community to participate and become familiar with the philosophy of race as a sub-discipline within the American Philosophical Association.