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Buddhist Philosophy Unit

Call for Proposals for November Meeting

Members are encouraged to submit papers on any topic that fits under the purview of the unit. Due to the number of high quality proposals we receive, it is generally best to gather several presenters and submit a proposal for a panel on a topic. Individual paper proposals are rarely accepted. Panels can be organized in a variety of formats — with shorter or longer presentations, one or several or no respondents. Please feel free to reach out to the co-chairs (Karin Meyers, karin.L.meyers@gmail.com and Connie Kassor, constance.e.kassor@lawrence.edu) with any questions about organizing a paper or submitting a panel. So far, this year the following panel topics have been suggested. If you are interested in one of these topics please contact the point person listed:

We especially welcome panels that represent diverse voices. In assembling your panels, please consider the demographic and professional diversity of potential participants. In an effort to encourage more graduate students and early-career faculty to participate in our unit, please forward this call for proposals widely.

 

Review Process: Once papers and panels are submitted to the Buddhist Philosophy Unit, steering committee members perform a blind review based on the intellectual merits of the proposals, their fit with the BPU’s statement of purpose, complementarity to other proposed topics, area diversity, and novelty of the topic for the BPU or field. Committee members cannot see any identifying information about the proposers. Based on the committee’s ratings and comments, the chairs recommend several possible slates of panels to the steering committee, including co-sponsorships with other units. At this time, the chairs (who can see identifying information) may also share demographic information about the proposers in order to promote greater diversity of representation (including gender, race, career status or stage, and people who have not presented in the BPU before). Through discussion via Zoom or email, the committee forms a consensus about which panels to accept. To ensure the integrity of this process, please do not include identifying information about the proposers in the wording of the proposals.

    Statement of Purpose

    This Unit provides a forum for the scholarly study of Buddhist philosophical thought in its various forms across all regions and traditions of the Buddhist world. We seek to develop tightly organized sessions that deal not only with intra-Buddhist philosophical issues — such as those involving major philosophical traditions and major thinkers and texts — but also with topics involving the relationship between Buddhist philosophy and other traditions of philosophical thought, both ancient and modern. The Unit likewise provides a venue to examine the relationship between Buddhist thought and Buddhist practice. We encourage work on the full range of Buddhist philosophy, including but not limited to metaphysics, epistemology, soteriology, ethics, social philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of language, process philosophy, philosophy of mind, and cross-cultural philosophy, etc. The Buddhist Philosophy Unit is committed to promoting greater diversity and inclusion within the Unit and in the field at large.

    Co-Sponsoring

    Chairs

    Steering Committee Members

    Method

    Review Process

    Proposer names are visible to chairs but anonymous to steering committee members

    Review Process Comments

    Once papers and panels are submitted to the Buddhist Philosophy Unit, steering committee members perform a blind review based on the intellectual merits of the proposals, their fit with the BPU’s statement of purpose, complementarity to other proposed topics, area diversity, and novelty of the topic for the BPU or field. Committee members cannot see any identifying information about the proposers. Based on the committee’s ratings and comments, the chairs recommend several possible slates of panels to the steering committee, including co-sponsorships with other units. At this time, the chairs (who can see identifying information) may also share demographic information about the proposers in order to promote greater diversity of representation (including gender, race, career status or stage, and people who have not presented in the BPU before). Through discussion via Zoom or email, the committee forms a consensus about which panels to accept. To ensure the integrity of this process, please do not include identifying information about the proposers in the wording of the proposals.