Kant and Feminist Transversal Politics: Theoretical Approaches to Injustice

THS MONTH WE WILL DISCUSS TWO PAPERS that examine different approaches to engagement with injustice. Both papers consider the ways in which citizens could and should organize themselves in opposition to the unjust use of power. Together, they offer an analysis of the conditions under which protest, and even rebellion, become permissible, and the imperative for a continuing engagement with the ideas of justice and mutuality during periods of opposition to juridical power.

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Robert Hoffman (Philosophy, UPenn)
Kant on Constitutional Rebellion and Conscientious Objection

Hoffman's paper addresses the question of whether Kant, in his writings, offers any possible justification for a constitutional or moral right to rebellion. The paper critically assesses the consistency between Kant's statements on rebellion and his support for the American and French revolutions and his opposition to rebellion in his subsequent writings. It contends that although Kant successfully argues against a constitutional right to rebellion, he fails to demonstrate a moral imperative for citizens not to rebel against unjust laws. 

Mark William Westmoreland (Philosophy; Theology & Religious Studies, Villanova)
Feminist Transversal Politics and Political Solidarity

Westmoreland's paper considers two approaches to political organization in the face of injustice: transversal politics and political solidarity. He scrutinizes both concepts through the lens of feminist political thought with the aim of arriving at a new understanding of the ways in which the oppressed combat injustice. He demonstrates the ways in which feminist transversal politics can be a productive means of pursuing political solidarity.