My primary research interest is in the many philosophical questions which surround the idea of social justice. But where most existing philosophical engagements with this topic have tended to focus on the question of (i) the most compelling set of abstract principles of justice, or (ii) the set of institutional arrangements that would best uphold these principles, my research concentrates instead on the philosophy of social justice activism.
Realising any plausible conception of social justice seems to require demanding political action of various kinds: campaigning, protesting, boycotting, and so on. I take the central question in the philosophy of social justice activism to be: which forms of political activism are the most desirable means of bringing about a more just future?
My published work to date grapples with various facets of this broad question. My article on democratic municipalism reconstructs an overlooked intellectual resource in the thought of Anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin which can contribute to contemporary discussions on agents of justice.
And my article on activist-led education responds to the criticism that educational practices undertaken by social justice activists within their organisations tend to involve indoctrination and will therefore be morally impermissible.
Some recent philosophical work that I view as inspiring contributions to the emerging field of the philosophy of social justice activism includes Archon Fung’s article on the four levels of power, Sally Haslanger’s work on changing social structures, and Robin Zheng’s article on the philosophy of social change.