THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF
THE BRITISH POSTGRADUATE PHILOSOPHY ASSOCIATION
& THE INAUGURAL BPPA CAREERS DAY

22 – 25 SEPTEMBER 2011
THE UNIVERSITY OF READING
bppa2011@pgr.reading.ac.uk

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Derek Parfit
Emeritus Fellow, All Souls College, University of Oxford & regular Visiting Professor
to the Departments of Philosophy of Harvard, Rutgers and New York University
Crispin Wright
New York University & The Northern Institute of Philosophy, University of Aberdeen
Emma Borg
University of Reading
Jonathan Dancy
University of Reading & University of Texas at Austin

CAREERS DAY SPEAKERS

David Archard
University of Lancaster
Helen Beebee
University of Birmingham
Thom Brooks
University of Newcastle
James Garvey
Editor, The Philosophers’ Magazine
Brad Hooker
University of Reading
Baroness Onora O’Neill
University of Cambridge & the House of Lords
Jonathan Rée
Royal College of Art
Clare Saunders
Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies
Plus more TBC

THE POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE

Now in its fifteenth successive year, the Annual Conference of the British Postgraduate Philosophy
Association (BPPA) is the largest, most prestigious and longest-running graduate philosophy
conference in the United Kingdom. It always features eminent keynote speakers and attracts
delegates from across the world. Proceedings are published in international journals. Large volumes
of papers are received and the standard of papers accepted is always very high. The conference is
open to all postgraduate researchers and aims to represent all areas and traditions of philosophy in
order to facilitate a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas. It also serves as a forum for intellectual
exchange and co-operation, professional planning and development, and provides an excellent
opportunity for graduate researchers to establish contacts and form networks with their peers in an
engaging and welcoming environment.
This year’s conference will be held at the University of Reading from 22-25 September. The three
and a half day event will allow time for considered reception of sixteen postgraduate papers and
responses, and four keynote addresses. All submitted postgraduate papers will be peer-reviewed by
the University of Reading postgraduate community according to the highest standards of clarity
and rigour, and the final round of papers will be reviewed by members of the Philosophy Faculty.
Proceedings will be published in a Special Issue of Philosophical Writings. Bursaries will be available
for all speakers and respondents.

THE INAUGURAL BPPA CAREERS DAY

The 2011 conference will include the addition of the inaugural BPPA Careers Day. This will make
it the biggest event the BPPA has run to date and the biggest graduate philosophy event ever held
in the UK. The BPPA has decided to include the Careers Day because of the increasing challenges
faced by early career researchers in philosophy at the present time. This will consist of a full day of
talks and symposia given by leading academics on topics related to careers in philosophy, such as
preparing for the job market, publishing, CV writing, teaching practice, and the role of philosophy
in modern culture and the public sphere. It is anticipated that this year’s new format will set the
trend for future BPPA conferences, and that the Careers Day will become an important annual
event for postgraduates planning a career in philosophy.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We welcome papers in all areas and traditions of philosophy, from graduate students all over the
world. Authors of papers that make it to the final stage of reviewing will be given an opportunity to
respond to accepted papers at the conference; responses will also be published in the proceedings.
Decisions on whether papers have been accepted will be made by mid-July.

• Word limit: 3,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding Bibliography).

• Papers should be prepared for blind review.
• Submission deadline: 1 June.
• Please submit papers as Microsoft Word documents by email to bppa2011@pgr.reading.ac.uk.
• Please put ‘Conference Paper Submission’ as the subject of your email.
• Please include in a separate document a cover sheet containing your name, departmental
affiliation, email address, contact telephone number and the title of your paper.

For all enquiries please email the Conference Committee Secretary, Noa Leibowitz, on
bppa2011@pgr.reading.ac.uk.

We would like to acknowledge the kind and generous support from our sponsors:
• The Mind Association
• The Analysis Trust
• The Aristotelian Society
• The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies (PRS)
• The University of Reading Philosophy Department
• The University of Reading Graduate School for Arts & Humanities
• The University of Reading School of Humanities

CONFERENCE ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Jonathan Beale (Committee Chair)
Jamie Buckland (Advertising & Publicity Coordinator)
Peter Dennis (Funding Coordinator)
Noa Leibowitz (Secretary)
Roxanna Lynch (Treasurer)
Richard Rowland (Event Coordinator)