Co-Sponsored by UIS New Voices in Racial Justice, Department of
Philosophy, Department of Political Science, Diversity Center, &
Women’s Center
Political philosopher, ethicist, educator, and activist, Dr. Vanessa Wills will present What Could It Mean to Say, “Capitalism Causes Sexism and Racism?” The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with philosophers of race and gender.
Marxism is often understood as class reductionism that erases the
significance of race and gender in themselves. But Wills forcefully
argues that an accurate analysis of the relationships amongst
capitalism, racism, and sexism reveals the crucial causal role each
plays in the existence of the others. Thus, a struggle against one of
these is central “to the struggles against any of the others.” As
social and political beings in a world in which economic factors shape
our race, sex and class, this means that we create the world in which
oppression happens. So, we can change the world to make antisexist and
antiracist efforts more successful to better pursue a just and equitable
society.
Vanessa Wills is a political philosopher, ethicist, educator, and
activist working in Washington, DC as Assistant Professor of Philosophy
at The George Washington University. In 2019/20, she was the DAAD
Visiting Chair in Ethics and Practice at Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität’s
Munich Center for Ethics. Her areas of specialization are moral,
social, and political philosophy, nineteenth century German philosophy,
and philosophy of race. Her research is importantly informed by Karl
Marx’s work, and focuses on the ways in which economic and social
arrangements can inhibit or promote the realization of values such as
freedom, equality, and human development. Dr. Wills is on the editorial
board of Spectre Journal, a journal of Marxist theory, strategy, and
analysis. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from University of
Pittsburgh in 2011, conducted dissertation research at
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin as a Fulbright Scholar, and received her
Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Princeton University in 2002.
Roxanne Marie Kurtz, UIS Associate Professor of Philosophy will moderate the panel discussion that will follow the presentation.
