Why a Women’s Caucus blog? November 6, 2010
Posted by psawomenscaucusblog in "Why" questions, Administrative.4 comments
To answer that question, we need to say something about another question: Why a Women’s Caucus?
The PSA Women’s Caucus was founded in November, 2006 at the PSA meeting in Vancouver, BC. The goals of the Caucus are to informally mentor women entering the philosophy of science, to provide an opportunity for networking among the women of the PSA, to raise the visibility of women in the field, and to address any concerns about women and gender in the PSA.
These are important goals, but some of them are hard to accomplish in a breakfast meeting every two years, or by way of emails to a listserv. Some of the mentoring, networking, and support we might be seeking (or offering) might, in a perfect world, be the kind of thing we’d exchange by the water cooler or coffee machine in a lounge furnished with whiteboards and comfy chairs.
Given that we are spatially dispersed, existing in different time zones (and with different constraints on our time even when we share time zones), it’s my hope that this blog can function like a virtual lounge, furnished with cyberspace whiteboards, creating a space that offers enough comfort for the conversations that will keep us going and enough challenge to keep us honest and engaged. With your help, this will be a place where we can describe our experiences, share our advice, and ask each other for help strategizing, whether about our careers or the philosophical problems that are currently captivating us.
– Janet D. Stemwedel
