Alison Mary Jaggar (born September 23, 1942)
is an American
feminist philosopher
Feminist philosophy is an approach to philosophy from a feminist perspective and also the employment of philosophical methods to feminist topics and questions. Feminist philosophy involves both reinterpreting philosophical texts and methods in ...
born in England. She is College Professor of Distinction in the Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies departments at the
University of Colorado, Boulder and Distinguished Research Professor at the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
in the United Kingdom. She was one of the first people to introduce feminist concerns in to philosophy.
Education and career
Born in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, England,
Jaggar earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy at
Bedford College, University of London
Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for education of women, women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advanceme ...
in 1964
and a master's degree in philosophy from the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
in 1967. She completed her doctorate in philosophy from the
State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo in 1970.
[
During her career, Jaggar has held appointments at SUNY Buffalo, ]Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...
, the University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
, the University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
, the University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...
, the University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
, and the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
. From 1994 to 1997, she was director of the Women's Studies department at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She later served as Graduate Director and Associate Chair of the Philosophy department at the university from 2004 to 2008.[ From 2007 to 2014, she worked as a Research Coordinator at the Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature at the ]University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
in Norway.[
A founding member of the Society for Women in Philosophy, she was instrumental in the creation of the field of feminist studies, and taught what she believes to have been the first feminist philosophy course ever offered.][ A co-founder of '' Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy'', Jaggar was a member of the editorial board from 1983 to 2009 and Associate Editor from 2006 to 2008. She chaired the ]American Philosophical Association
The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...
(APA) Committee on the Status of Women from 1986 to 1991 and served as co-president of the North American Society for Social Philosophy from 1995 to 1997.
Jaggar has been awarded research fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
, the Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...
, American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...
(AAUW), the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
, the Norwegian Research Council and the Australian Research Council. She has served on the editorial boards of '' Against the Current'', '' Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy'',
'' Radical Philosophy Review'', ''Asian Journal of Women's Studies'', '' Journal of Social Philosophy'', ''Studies in Feminist Philosophy'', ''International Journal of Feminist Bioethics'', and ''Journal of International Critical Thought''.[
Jaggar was elected a Fellow of the ]American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
in 2017.
Philosophical work
Jaggar studies gender and globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
using normative
Normativity is the phenomenon in human societies of designating some actions or outcomes as good, desirable, or permissible, and others as bad, undesirable, or impermissible. A Norm (philosophy), norm in this sense means a standard for evaluatin ...
, methodological
In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...
, and epistemological
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowled ...
perspectives. She has published several articles identifying "how global institutions and policies interact with local practices to create gendered cycles of vulnerability and exploitation" and its influence on policy. She has helped develop a new poverty measure that evaluates how gender influences and is impacted by poverty.
Her work has been hugely influential, with Rosemarie Tong and Nancy Williams suggesting in the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' (''SEP'') is a freely available online philosophy resource published and maintained by Stanford University, encompassing both an online encyclopedia of philosophy and peer-reviewed original publication ...
'' that "If ethics is about human beings' liberation, then Alison Jaggar's summary of the fourfold function of feminist ethics cannot be improved upon in any significant way" and Jaggar's texts being considered classics.
Selected publications
Jaggar has authored a large number of widely cited papers, most notably "Love and knowledge: Emotion in feminist epistemology", published in 1989. Jaggar has also acted as co-editor for the first issue of ''Telos'', and was a co-founder and associate editor of '' Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy'' from 2006 to 2008.[
Jaggar has written one book, edited seven books, and co-authored two:
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaggar, Alison
20th-century American philosophers
21st-century American philosophers
Living people
Scholars of feminist philosophy
American social philosophers
University of Colorado Boulder faculty
Alumni of Bedford College, London
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
University at Buffalo alumni
American women philosophers
American academics of women's studies
Philosophers from Colorado
American epistemologists
Academics of the University of Birmingham
1942 births
20th-century American women
21st-century American women