Equity and Diversity

The Queen’s Department of Philosophy is committed to the promotion of equity in its teaching, research and administration.

Academic philosophy has a diversity problem. No other discipline of comparable size in the humanities and social sciences has as few women. People of colour are also significantly underrepresented. That goes for philosophy departments in Canada, as well as the US and the UK.

The Queen’s Philosophy Department includes among its members a number of impressive women faculty and faculty of colour. But there is more to be done to make the Department representative of Canadian society. With the Truth and Reconciliation Report on Indigenous peoples at Queen’s, and the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion, we welcome the opportunity to take up important questions of equity. The Department seeks to foster a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone. The Philosophy Department has an active Equity Committee composed of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students which has organised panels and workshops on such issues as Free Speech/Hate Speech, Philosophy of Indigeneity, Diversity and the Philosophy Curriculum, and this year, a series on Equity in a Pandemic.  For more information about the Queen's Philosophy Department’s commitment to equity, see this equity and diversity brochure (PDF 224 KB).

Diversity and Inclusion Resources for Philosophy

A panel on philosophical and legal questions concerning hate speech in Canada
A panel on philosophical and legal questions concerning hate speech in Canada, hosted by the Department of Philosophy’s Equity Committee, and moderated by Sofie Vlaad (Philosophy). Panelists included Meena Krishnamurthy (Philosophy), Wendy Phillips (Office of Indigenous Initiatives), and Jacob Weinrib (Law).