WOLLAPALOOZA! Making the Wollstonecraftian Mind
San Francisco APSA 31 August 2017

Co-­organizers:
Sandrine Bergès (Bilkent University, Turkey)

Eileen Hunt Botting (University of Notre Dame, USA)
Alan Coffee (King’s College London, UK)

As co-­editors of THE WOLLSTONECRAFTIAN MIND (under contract, Routledge), we are bringing together 21 of its 40 contributors—all leading Wollstonecraft scholars from around the world—to present their  contributions-in-­progress for the first philosophical compendium centred on the work of Mary Wollstonecraft. Open to all APSA attendees, this mini-conference will offer a chance for participants to inform each other’s work, but more importantly, it will bring Wollstonecraft and feminist theory more broadly into dialogue with the discipline of political science and the sub-fields of political theory and women and politics research. We have planned 4 events for a single day of the conference: a conference theme round table discussion on “Ain’t I Legit? Wollstonecraft and the Problem of Political Exclusion,” a full panel on “Negotiating the Canon with Wollstonecraft: Philosophical Interlocutors and Feminist Interventions,” a teaching café on “Teaching Wollstonecraft in 21st Century Political Science,” and a Brookings format panel on “Reason, Passion, Wrath: New Work on Wollstonecraft.” These sessions will bring the most recent currents of Wollstonecraft scholarship into broader dialogue with major trends of contemporary political science and political theory: concepts and theories of legitimacy, political inclusion and exclusion, civil and human rights, marriage, family, gender, citizenship, and democracy. They will also share pedagogical insights into bringing Wollstonecraft more centrally into political science curricula, undergraduate and graduate.

Program: 

I. WOLLAPALOOZA! Making the Wollstonecraftian Mind
Thursday August 31, 2017
Mini-­Conference Agenda:

ROUND TABLE: “Ain’t I Legit? Wollstonecraft and the Problem  of Exclusion”8AM-9:45AM

Abstract: This round table, as part of the mini-­conference “WOLLAPALOOZA! Making the Wollstonecraftian Mind,” engages the theme of the conference
by examining the concept of legitimacy and its relationship to issues of inclusion and exclusion. Following Mary Wollstonecraft and Sojourner Truth,
the panellists will each answer the perennial feminist political question, “Ain’t I Legit?” Put differently, who counts as “legitimate” in politics?
Speakers will address this question from the perspective of various schools of contemporary political theory and feminist theory (critical, democratic, liberal, republican, etc.). From these different perspectives, they will engage the philosophical legacies of Wollstonecraft for the meaning of legitimacy in relation to a range of political concepts.
Each of the 8 short presentations—on the central political concepts of democracy, progress, justice, independence, women’s rights, family, gender, and masculinity—will be based on the authors’ contributions to the book THE WOLLSTONECRAFTIAN MIND (under contract, Routledge), the ultimate product of our mini­-conference. The final goal  of this round table is to bring Wollstonecraft and feminist theory into more  prominent conversation with broader trends in political science, political theory, and women and politics research.

Format: Short (10 minute) presentations will be followed by group discussion and interaction with audience (20 minutes). Chair will introduce topic of round table and participants, present, and adjudicate discussion.

Chair: Alan Coffee (King’s College London, UK)

Participants:
1. Elizabeth Frazer (University of Oxford, UK)—“Democracy”
2. Ruth Abbey (University of Notre Dame)—“Masculinity”

3. Daniel O’Neill (University of Florida)—“Progress”

4. Laura Brace (University of Leicester, UK)—“Family”
5. Eileen Hunt Botting (University of Notre Dame)—“Justice”

6. Alan Coffee (King’s College London, UK)—“Independence”

7. Lisa Pace Vetter (University of Maryland­Baltimore County)—“Women’s Rights”
8. Lorna Bracewell (University of Nebraska­Kearney)—“Gender”

9:45am-10am: 15 minute break between sessions

II. FULL PANEL:“Negotiating the Canon with Wollstonecraft: Philosophical Interlocutors and Feminist Interventions.” 
10AM-11:45AM

Abstract: As part of the mini-­conference “WOLLAPALOOZA! Making the Wollstonecraftian Mind,” this panel will (re)negotiate the territory of the Western canon of political theory through the lens of the work of Mary Wollstonecraft, her philosophical interlocutors, and feminist interventions on her (and other women’s and marginalised thinkers’) behalf. Themes of the papers include Wollstonecraft’s revision of Aristotle in her theory of friendship; her theology and metaphysics; her political approach to aesthetics; her response to patriarchy; her theory of freedom; and her feminist republicanism.

Format: Traditional panel with 6 pre­-circulated papers, with brief (10 minute) presentations by panellists, followed by comments by discussant (10-15 minutes). Chair introduces panellists and adjudicates discussion among panellists and audience (30 minutes), and may contribute to discussion of papers as well.

Chair: Sandrine Bergès (Bilkent University, Turkey)
1. Nancy Kendrick (Wheaton College, MA)—“Aristotle and Friendship”

2. Emily Dumler­-Winckler (St. Louis University)—“Theology and Metaphysics”
3. Angela Maione (Harvard University)—“Aesthetics and Politics”

4. Wendy Gunther­Canada (University of Alabama­Birmingham)—”Patriarchy”

5. Nancy Hirschmann (University of Pennsylvania)—“Freedom”

6. Lena Halldenius (University of Lund, Sweden)—”Feminist Republicanism”
Discussant: Natalie Taylor (Skidmore College)

III. TEACHING CAFÉ: “Teaching Wollstonecraft in 21st Century Political Science” 
2pm-3:45pm

Abstract: As part of the mini­-conference “WOLLAPALOOZA! Making the Wollstonecraftian Mind,” this teaching café affords attendees the opportunity
to learn the latest pedagogical approaches to teaching Wollstonecraft in relationship to the major questions and issues of 21st century political
science, political theory, and women and politics research. Presenters will show Wollstonecraft’s relevance to contemporary theories of
intersectionality, gender and performativity, republicanism and legitimacy, democracy, capabilities, equality and difference, human rights,
and the politics of childhood. Presenters will show how Wollstonecraft’s visionary arguments relate to other major feminist and political thinkers,
such as Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, John Stuart Mill, Judith Butler, Philip Pettit, Carole Pateman, Martha Nussbaum, and Amartya Sen.

Format: Short, informal, simultaneous presentations at separate “café” tables and small group discussions with audience members. Speakers may bring
handouts, syllabi, teaching materials, or books to distribute. Chair will present in addition to briefly introducing topics and participants at
beginning of session. Audience members will have chance to move freely from table to table and topic to topic in small group discussions.

Chair: Eileen Hunt Botting (University of Notre Dame)

  1. Madeline Cronin (Santa Clara University)—“Teaching Intersectionality with Wollstonecraft and Austen.”
  2. Virginia Sapiro (Boston University)—“Teaching Gender as Performance with Wollstonecraft and Butler.”
  3. Alan Coffee (King’s College London, UK) —“Teaching Republicanism and Legitimate Government with Wollstonecraft and Pettit.”
  4. Angela Maione (Harvard University)—“Teaching Contemporary Radical Democratic Political Theory with Wollstonecraft.”

  5. Sandrine Bergès (Bilkent University, Turkey)—“Teaching Capabilities Approaches with Wollstonecraft, Sen, and Nussbaum.”
  6. Laura Brace (University of Leicester, UK)—”Teaching Equality and Difference with Wollstonecraft and Pateman.”

  7. Eileen Hunt Botting (University of Notre Dame)—“Teaching Human Rights with Wollstonecraft, Shelley, and Mill.”
  8. Penny Weiss (St. Louis University)—”Teaching the Politics of Childhood with Wollstonecraft.”
  9. Martina Reuter (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)—“Teaching Gender and Reason with Wollstonecraft”

3:45-4pm: 15 minute break between sessions 

IV. BROOKINGS FORMAT PANEL: “REASON, PASSION, WRATH: NEW WORK ON WOLLSTONECRAFT.”

Abstract: As part of the mini­-conference “WOLLAPALOOZA! Making the Wollstonecraftian Mind,” this Brookings format panel will address three
important themes emerging at the forefront of Wollstonecraft scholarship: the relationship between reason and passion in her epistemological, educational, moral, and political theory; the relationship between wrath and reasoning in her approach to addressing injustice; and her legacies for feminists and other political theorists, such as Harriet Taylor, Cornel West, and Amartya Sen.

Format: This panel will follow the “Brookings format” which means there is a designated discussant for each of the 3 papers and a chair. There will be 30 minutes allotted for each paper, with the discussant presenting first for about 15 minutes and the author responding to the comments and any audience questions for about 15 minutes. The chair will facilitate a final round of audience questions in the last 15 minutes of the session. The chair will introduce panellists, keep track of time, and adjudicate discussion. 
This panel brings together contributors to the volume THE WOLLSTONECRAFTIAN MIND alongside new work on Wollstonecraft by doctoral students, to encourage mentoring in the field and profession.

Chair: Virginia Sapiro (Boston University)

Paper 1: Tyler Thomas (University of Notre Dame),
“An Education to Virtue: Epistemology in Wollstonecraft’s Political Theory.”
Presenter/discussant for Paper 1: Daniel O’Neill (University of Florida)
Response by author: Tyler Thomas (University of Notre Dame)

Paper 2: Helen McCabe (University of Warwick, UK)
“Mary Wollstonecraft, Harriet Taylor, and the Question of Sexual Passion.”
Presenter/discussant for Paper 2: Lisa Pace Vetter (University of Maryland­, Baltimore County)
Response by author: Helen McCabe (University of Warwick)

Paper 3: Garrett FitzGerald (University of Notre Dame, “‘Wrath and Reasoning’:
Wollstonecraft’s and West’s Prophetic Politics.”
Presenter/Discussant for Paper 3: Emily Dumler­-Winckler (St. Louis University)
Response by author: Garrett FitzGerald (University of Notre Dame)