A. Original Book-Length Projects
1. The
Philosopher's Risk
This
is a three section (eight chapter) project which
examines the political decisions and situations of two contemporary
philosophers--Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. This project addresses certain difficulties
confronting the philosopher committed to a thoughtful engagement with
contemporary political issues and problems.
More precisely, this project undertakes a comparative examination of
their respective views of the philosopher's contribution to the general
political milieu of his or her time, and how these views are challenged by
certain crises. Ultimately these crises,
which are both political and philosophical in nature, lead Heidegger and
Merleau-Ponty to rethink what it means to be a politically responsible
philosopher.
As the manuscript now
stands, I have completed six chapters with two left to write. I hope to complete the manuscript this coming
summer (2003).
B. Original Essays
1. My long term study of the work of Hannah
Arendt has taken a new turn with my more recent work on certain issues in
feminist philosophy, specifically the issue of nurturing. “Bearing Children: Hannah Arendt, Adrienne
Rich, and the Nature of Nurture” seeks to show how the respective work of
Arendt and Rich find a productive if tense intersection in the question of
nurturing. A version of this essay was
accepted for presentation at the 2002 annual meetings of the International
Association of Philosophy and Literature in
2. I
have been invited to write a paper on Hannah Arendt’s ethical vision for the
forthcoming collection of essays entitled Continental Ethics (Continental
Philosophy IX).
C. Translations
I
spent the early part of the year reviewing the final version of the First
Volume of Merleau-Ponty’s Sorbonne Lectures (forthcoming,
Humanity Press). This project involves the translation, editing, and
annotation of lectures delivered by Maurice Merleau-Ponty between 1949 and
1952. The publication of the Sorbonne
Lectures in English will complete the translation of the works of one
of the most celebrated European philosophers of the twentieth century. I am co-translator with Talia Welsh.
D. Editing Projects
1. Continental
Philosophy
I
was one of the four founding members of this ongoing series, which began to
appear in 1987. Continental
Philosophy (CP) was intended to offer an open forum on the most
timely issues in the many styles of philosophy loosely denoted by its title
(e.g., Phenomenology, Deconstruction, Poststructuralism, Critical Theory,
Hermeneutics, Aesthetics, Comparative Studies, etc.) To date eight volumes have been published,
with another five in various states of production. CPVI: Cultural Semiosis appeared in
1999. CPVII: Philosophies of
Desire and CPVIII: Foucault appeared this past year
(2001).
E. Active Membership in Professional
Organizations
I
have been an active member of the Society for Phenomenology and Existential
Philosophy since 1985,
an active member of the Eastern Division of the American
Philosophical Association since 1986, an active member of the Merleau-Ponty
Circle since 1986, an active member of the International Association of
Philosophy and Literature since 1987, and an active member of the Heidegger
Conference since 1989). In the case
of four organizations (SPEP, IAPL, the Heidegger Conference,
and the