The Concept
What is PLUSS?“The places where the law does not go,” Mari Matsuda tells us, “have tended to be the places where women, children, people of color, and poor people live.” Originally from her 1989 article, “Public Responses to Racist Speech,” Matsuda’s claim continues to finds traction in the philosophy of law. Hosted this year by Cornell University's Sage School of Philosophy, PLUSS is a week-long summer program aiming to bring insights from the philosophy of law into conversation with the lived experiences of marginalized groups. Topics to be discussed include the devaluation of Black bodies in the law, legal regulation of Arab bodies via terrorism, undocumented migration and border detention centers, the (un)equal standing of gender minorities in the law, and the effective erasure of disabled bodies. Annual Theme
Colonialism's LegacyThe theme of the 2022 Philosophy of Law Undergraduate Summer School will be "Colonialism's Legacy." Readings and discussions will centre on the continuing legacy and influence of colonialism on global power structures, political institutions, and the law. |
Statement of Solidarity with Palestine
PLUSS unequivocally and irrevocably condemns the advancing, unchecked Zionist violence against Palestinians by the state of Israel, a settler colonial state created by England and ratified by the United States of America in the wake of World War II against the wishes of the native Arab people. The consequences have traumatized generations of Palestinians, in addition to causing political instability and violence in South West Asia and North Africa. Palestinians living in their homeland and scattered across the diaspora have been suffering for decades and will continue to do so until the settler colonial state of Israel is disbanded and condemned by members of the international community. We stand with Palestine with the explicit recognition that anti-Zionism is not equivalent to nor consistent with anti-Semitism, and to stand with Palestine is to stand for justice. Acknowledgement of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' Dispossession Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters. |
Eligibility
Who Should Apply?We welcome applications from members of historically marginalized groups interested in pursuing graduate studies in legal, political, or social philosophy. (Priority will be given to students of color.) Applicants should be interested in pursuing graduate studies in philosophy and they should be comfortably versed in at least one or more of the following areas: 1/ Legal Philosophy 2/ Moral Philosophy 3/ Social Philosophy 4/ Political Philosophy 5/Feminist Philosophy, Philosophy of Race, Critical Disability Studies, and other Critical Philosophies |