Alison Wylie: Philosophy of the field, in the field, reckoning with settler-colonial practice in Archaeology

March 1^st
2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Environment 2 room 2002

Recent advocates for engaged philosophy make the case that we philosophers need to “get outside more often”; alongside our sequestered, disciplinary modes of practice we should cultivate philosophical work that is, as the proponents of “Field Philosophy” put it, “practically engaged, stakeholder-centered, and timely.” This mode of practice takes a great many different forms. I will discuss three examples of field-engaged philosophy of science that address the legacies of settler-colonialism in archaeology in Canada and I ask what philosophy can contribute to decolonizing efforts.