Guest Lecture: “Mujerista Ethics: Reimagining Self Ownership" by Dr. Tiffany Montoya on Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom

October 28, 2021

Mujerista is a theological philosophy and a type of Latina-based feminism that recognizes the fundamental embodiment and interconnectivity of the self, as well as its situatedness in an evolving context of power relations (this also means that it is a “non-ideal theory”). We will take inspiration from Mujerista to imagine other possible alternatives to the concept of self-ownership. The pressing questions are: how do we maintain the autonomy or dignity of a person without self-ownership? Are there other ways to assert control over one’s own life that don’t require the self-ownership principle as we know it? And, how would an alternative to traditional self-ownership benefit the lives of those most frequently oppressed along lines of race, gender and class?

Join this fascinating discussion on Zoom

The Ball State Philosophy and Religious Studies department hosts Dr. Montoya, a visiting assistant professor and "Consortium for Faculty Diversity" (CFD) Fellow at Muhlenberg College in PA. She received her PhD and MA in Philosophy from Purdue University, and a BA in Philosophy and Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico. She specializes in social/political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of race, and is trained in the methodological traditions of 19th and 20th century continental philosophy.

The self-ownership principle is the moral/natural right that a person is the sole proprietor of their own body and life. This principle is the foundation for some of the prevailing social, political, and economic ideologies today (such as liberal feminism, contemporary American libertarianism, and entitlement theory respectively). But recent critiques of self-ownership assert that it is, at best, unrealistically atomistic and, at worst, leads to exploitative outcomes.

 

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