9th Annual MAP–Penn Conference - Gendered and Queer Lives: Critical Dialogues in Troubled Times

The 9th Annual MAP–Penn Conference, to be held on April 3–4, 2026, and provisionally titled “Gendered and Queer Lives: Critical Dialogues in Troubled Times,” is organized by graduate students in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Founded in 2016, the MAP–Penn Conference has become a valued fixture of the department’s academic and community life. “MAP” stands for Minorities and Philosophy, an international organization with hundreds of chapters worldwide devoted to supporting members of marginalized groups in philosophy—including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities—and to promoting philosophical work on issues of social justice. The 2026 conference will feature Ding (Barnard College) as the junior keynote and Robin Dembroff (Yale University) as the senior keynote. Six student papers will be selected through a double-anonymous review process and accompanied by faculty and graduate commentators. The program will also include two interactive “Dialogues in Troubled Times” sessions, centering on gender and sexuality as both scholarly and lived experiences. We anticipate participation from students and faculty across Penn departments—including Philosophy, GSWS, Law, Political Science, Africana Studies, Education, PPE, Sociology, and Anthropology —as well as engagement from the wider Philadelphia community.