| Author(s) | Kristin Rodier, Samantha Brennan |
| Journal | Teaching Philosophy |
| Abstract | This article draws on authors’ experiences as fat-bodied white women philosophers, empirical research about fat discrimination, and common teaching topics and practices to reflect on fat stigma in dominant forms of teaching philosophy. We situate our critique in fat studies literature, locating the “normal professor body” within eugenic social and political movements, and the transatlantic slave trade. We outline how fat stigma specifically applies to historical and contemporary forms of Western canonical teaching practices and materials. Many of the topics philosophers teach on practical rationality evoke stereotypes about fat-bodied people as bad eaters, and activate stereotype threat for fat philosophers, thus affecting performance and credibility. We offer the case of “fat man” hypotheticals in contemporary analytic ethics as cases of perpetuating stigma, thereby undermining their pedagogical efficacy. We conclude by offering recommendations for teaching in ways that mitigate the influence of fat stigmatizing stereotypes and stereotype threat for fat philosophers. |
| Keywords | Fat stigma, Philosophy pedagogy, Stereotype threat, Epistemic credibility, Fat studies, Rational agency, Thought experiments, Trolley problem, Body normativity, Analytic ethics, Fat oppression, Intersectionality This content was generated by artificial intelligence using the text of the original work and reviewed by the author. |
| Date Published | July 14, 2022 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 189-207 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5840/teachphil2022711174 |
| URL | https://www.pdcnet.org/teachphil/content/teachphil_2022_0999_7_11_174 |
| Google Scholar Link | https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=3217144038636978362&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5 |
| Open Access? | Yes |
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.