Papers by Lori Gallegos
Philosophical Topics, 2023
This article proposes that linguistic shame is a form of affective injustice and describes some o... more This article proposes that linguistic shame is a form of affective injustice and describes some of the benefits of classifying it as such. Linguistic shame involves feelings of embarrassment, a sense of inferiority, and attitudes of self-reproach that arise in relation to the way one speaks. The article gives an account of three main types of linguistic shame to which Latinx people are subject: the shame of the English as a second-language speaker; the shame of the Spanglish speaker; and the shame of the English-only speaker. In all cases, linguistic shame emerges in the context of linguicism, a system in which some ways of speaking are privileged and the way one speaks is an indicator of the speaker's social status. Classifying linguistic shame as an affective injustice highlights the political nature of the emotion and provides some guidance for how to resist this injustice. Pena. Shame. Low estimation of self. In childhood we are told that our language is wrong. Repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense of self. The attacks continue throughout our lives.
Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism, 2024
Philosophy and Human Flourishing. Edited by: John J. Stuhr, Oxford University Press, 2022
Latin American Immigration Ethics, eds. Amy Reed-Sandoval and Luis Rubén Díaz Cepeda, 2021
Imagine the following scenario: Jorge wants to get out of a long-term contract that costs more th... more Imagine the following scenario: Jorge wants to get out of a long-term contract that costs more than he can currently comfortably pay. Although the terms of the contract specify that he cannot terminate the contract early, Jorge believes that if one were to argue long enough and with enough people, eventually someone would be willing to cancel it. Jorge does not speak English. His contract is in Ignacia's name, since Ignacia speaks English and is therefore in a better position to handle things like billing and communication. She would have to argue for the cancellation of the contract. However, she does not want to, because she believes that the behavior would be contemptible. At the same time, Ignacia sympathizes with Jorge and knows that he cannot better his own situation without her help. In this chapter, I want to focus on dilemmas like the one Ignacia faces and on the ethical costs to interpreters in such cases. Many families in the United States have members who do not speak the dominant language, so situations like the one described above are likely far more common than people realize. e U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey nds that over one-fth of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English at home, with Spanish being the most common language (. million people). e survey also nds that. percent of people in the United States-about. million-are classi ed as LEP, or "limited English pro cient, " which CHAPTER 10 The Interpreter's Dilemma On the Moral Burden of Consensual Heteronomy
Latin American and Latinx Philosophy: A Collaborative Introduction, ed. Robert Eli Sanchez, Jr., 2019
Journal of Intercultural Studies, 2019
Latinx communities that shape the US cultural landscape and assimilationists who reject this infl... more Latinx communities that shape the US cultural landscape and assimilationists who reject this influence each have a desire to feel at home in the US. Nevertheless, people hold conflicting intuitions about which group’s home-making practices are morally justifiable. Some feel that those belonging to the cultural majority have the right to determine membership through the admission of only those outsiders who will not disrupt their way of life. Others sense that when assimilationists express the need to feel at home in their country, this seems to be, at the very least, tinged with a morally distasteful xenophobia. In this essay, I provide an account of each of these conflicting intuitions. Drawing from Mariana Ortega’s notion of hometactics and from Tomás Ybarra-Frausto’s discussions of rasquachismo, I propose that many immigrants and Latinxs’ home-making practices involve efforts to create a sense of familiarity and identity affirmation in a place where they are regularly reminded that they do not belong. Meanwhile, an examination of early and contemporary US nation-building practices demonstrates that assimilationists’ ability to feel at home also aims at identity affirmation, but it is intolerant of difference and requires the eradication, rather than the incorporation, of that which is foreign.
Inter-American Journal of Philosophy, 2018
It has been said that all philosophy begins with a set of concerns and a set of intuitions. With ... more It has been said that all philosophy begins with a set of concerns and a set of intuitions. With this idea in mind, we ask: Would it be helpful to understand Mexican-American philosophy as a kind of philosophy that begins with the concerns and intuitions of the Mexican-American community? On this view, what distinguishes Mexican-American philosophy is the orientation from which the philosophical investigation proceeds. Such an orientation is shaped by the experiences and relationships that are characteristic of those who identify as Mexican-American. We offer a list of concerns and intuitions that we suggest are widely held by the Mexican-American community. Focusing on questions surrounding linguistic assimilation in the U.S., we illustrate how beginning from these particular starting points might alter the way we think about philosophical issues.
Critical Philosophy of Race, 2018
Studies have shown that a person can consciously believe that
they value racial equality and desi... more Studies have shown that a person can consciously believe that
they value racial equality and desire not to perpetuate racial
stigmas, but unwittingly exhibit racist attitudes and beliefs. In
order to explain this discrepancy between conscious beliefs and
behavior, scholars have turned their attention to unconscious
racial prejudice. One approach that is gaining wide acceptance
is the Implicit Bias Model, which appeals to distinct implicit and
explicit cognitive processes, coupled with an account of the ways
in which people unconsciously internalize widespread stereotypes
and stigmas. This article claims that although the Implicit
Bias Model is in many respects useful, it leaves out a central
aspect of unconscious racial prejudice: the underlying motivations
and incentives for harboring racist attitudes and beliefs,
which generate psychological resistances to knowing about or
changing prejudices. A more complete account of unconscious
racial prejudice can be developed by turning to theories of
active ignorance, which contribute to what this article calls the
Resistance Model.
Topoi, 2017
Link to online article: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s11245-017-9468-6?author_access_to... more Link to online article: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s11245-017-9468-6?author_access_token=uLZzL89GtfVD8AP8w4DqYPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY7Uksz85wpZ1z7gZqgwJjbHbLBPcjiaVesTfErEenxfEcm4CW-jOBy5cRn6amTuJyEU8sCUfC_iWkGVDqQZQWCCesQbm0XYngsRWoba0ZBpUw==
Abstract; Some proponents of moral bioenhancement propose that people should utilize biomedical practices to enhance the faculties and traits that are associated with moral agency, such as empathy and a sense of justice. The hope is that doing so will improve our ability to meet the moral challenges that have emerged in our contemporary, globalized world. In this paper, we caution against this view by arguing that biomedically inducing more empathy may, in fact, diminish moral agency. We argue that this type of increase in empathy would not be effective for addressing empathy's vulnerability to the biases that can undermine moral judgment. Furthermore, doing so may undermine the important capacity to regulate empathy. We determine that if the moral enhancement project is to be a serious one, it must address these challenges.
Hubert Dreyfus and Ada María Isasi-Díaz both look to the everyday as the paradigmatic space in wh... more Hubert Dreyfus and Ada María Isasi-Díaz both look to the everyday as the paradigmatic space in which we act as knowers. This essay compares the ways that Dreyfus and Isasi-Díaz conceptualize the everyday and the knowing that happens within it. Whereas, for Dreyfus, everyday knowledge is understood as ‘skillful coping,’ or the intuitive exercise of deeply engrained expertise, Isasi-Díaz argues that for the impoverished Latinas in New York City who are the focus of her work, knowledge involves struggling to navigate obstacles and setbacks that are characteristic of everyday life for the oppressed. I argue that Isasi-Díaz’s recognition of the influence of social location on how we know poses an important challenge to Dreyfus’ work on the knowledge of the everyday. Comparing Dreyfus and Isasi-Díaz’s work allows me to highlight one of the ways that Latina/o philosophy can contribute to work on problems typically seen to be universal in scope.
Inter-American Journal of Philosophy 6:1 (Spring 2015), May 2015
In this article, I am critical of decolonial theory’s negligence of the issues of nature and the ... more In this article, I am critical of decolonial theory’s negligence of the issues of nature and the environment. I work to remedy this problem by providing a decolonial analysis of the operative colonial conception nature. I argue that one of the reasons that efforts to curb human-caused environmental devastation have been ineffective is that the two popular approaches to environmentalist activism — the global warming and sustainability approaches — do not necessarily pose a challenge to the way in which we currently conceptualize nature, nor do they entail a robust ethical view. Then, I propose one potential avenue for developing an alternative, decolonial approach to nature, drawing from environmental philosopher Ricardo Rozzi’s notion of the biocultural perspective, which emphasizes the dynamic relationship between human ways of life and the diversity of non-human life. I conclude by analyzing two concrete instantiations of the biocultural perspective in a Latin American context.
Book Reviews by Lori Gallegos
Philosophy Today, 2020
ocially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice takes up the problem of the dehumanizing r... more ocially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice takes up the problem of the dehumanizing representation of migrants who are read as undocumented in the U.S. The book examines the lived experience of those who embody this identity and offers an account of how this identity is produced. We learn that it is produced by a militarized border that has led to the perilous migrant journey. It is also the result of a history of immigration laws that have denied membership on the basis of race, gender, class, and sexuality. And it is shaped by politicians and others with a platform, who portray Latinx people as criminal and as a threat. Reed-Sandoval's principle aim is in this book to identify and ameliorate the injustice of undocumented social identity. Her discussion of policy, then, takes place on the level of thinking about how to transform the structures that contribute to socially undocumented identity. She proceeds by delinking socially undocumented identity from legally undocumented identity. She argues that "the constraints stemming from being legally undocumented are not necessarily oppressive" and that it is possible to "recognize that borders are, in at least some respects, just, but also maintain that unduly physically harming undocumented migrants at the border and elsewhere-or denying them access to health care or other vital social services-unjustly oppresses them. " 1 In short, her strategy is to show that 1) open-borders positions can be consistent with socially undocumented identity-based oppression and that 2) there are ways in which we can alter our existing immigration policy to reduce many of their currently harmful effects, without questioning the legitimacy of borders altogether. I will begin my commentary by briefly highlighting the methodology of this work, which is one of the features I appreciated most. Then, I will raise some concerns about Reed-Sandoval's critiques of open borders thinking. Lastly, I will turn my attention to the nature of socially undocumented identity.
Journal of Applied Philosophy 31:3, Aug 5, 2014
include the covert as well as the overt, but fails to situate rhetorical resistance in the contin... more include the covert as well as the overt, but fails to situate rhetorical resistance in the continuum of collaboration-cooperation-resistance. Is there a difference between rhetorical resistance and cooperation (both of which are characterised by performed compliance and an absence of collaborative intent) or is she redefining cooperation (as distinct from collaboration) as rhetorical resistance? The answer is not entirely clear.This is, however, a minor failing in a rich and dense work whose relevance extends well beyond the time and place under scrutiny and which will undoubtedly have a broad appeal, from the disciplines of philosophy and history to English and the author's own field of communication studies.
APA Newsletter on Hispanics in Philosophy 13:2 (Spring 2014), Apr 2014
Conferences by Lori Gallegos
This conference aims to discuss the pertinence of decolonizing philosophy in the Americas and the... more This conference aims to discuss the pertinence of decolonizing philosophy in the Americas and the different tasks involved in making it possible, specifically from a Latin American and Latinx perspective.
Interviews by Lori Gallegos
APA Newsletter on Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy, 2019
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Papers by Lori Gallegos
they value racial equality and desire not to perpetuate racial
stigmas, but unwittingly exhibit racist attitudes and beliefs. In
order to explain this discrepancy between conscious beliefs and
behavior, scholars have turned their attention to unconscious
racial prejudice. One approach that is gaining wide acceptance
is the Implicit Bias Model, which appeals to distinct implicit and
explicit cognitive processes, coupled with an account of the ways
in which people unconsciously internalize widespread stereotypes
and stigmas. This article claims that although the Implicit
Bias Model is in many respects useful, it leaves out a central
aspect of unconscious racial prejudice: the underlying motivations
and incentives for harboring racist attitudes and beliefs,
which generate psychological resistances to knowing about or
changing prejudices. A more complete account of unconscious
racial prejudice can be developed by turning to theories of
active ignorance, which contribute to what this article calls the
Resistance Model.
Abstract; Some proponents of moral bioenhancement propose that people should utilize biomedical practices to enhance the faculties and traits that are associated with moral agency, such as empathy and a sense of justice. The hope is that doing so will improve our ability to meet the moral challenges that have emerged in our contemporary, globalized world. In this paper, we caution against this view by arguing that biomedically inducing more empathy may, in fact, diminish moral agency. We argue that this type of increase in empathy would not be effective for addressing empathy's vulnerability to the biases that can undermine moral judgment. Furthermore, doing so may undermine the important capacity to regulate empathy. We determine that if the moral enhancement project is to be a serious one, it must address these challenges.
Book Reviews by Lori Gallegos
Conferences by Lori Gallegos
Interviews by Lori Gallegos
they value racial equality and desire not to perpetuate racial
stigmas, but unwittingly exhibit racist attitudes and beliefs. In
order to explain this discrepancy between conscious beliefs and
behavior, scholars have turned their attention to unconscious
racial prejudice. One approach that is gaining wide acceptance
is the Implicit Bias Model, which appeals to distinct implicit and
explicit cognitive processes, coupled with an account of the ways
in which people unconsciously internalize widespread stereotypes
and stigmas. This article claims that although the Implicit
Bias Model is in many respects useful, it leaves out a central
aspect of unconscious racial prejudice: the underlying motivations
and incentives for harboring racist attitudes and beliefs,
which generate psychological resistances to knowing about or
changing prejudices. A more complete account of unconscious
racial prejudice can be developed by turning to theories of
active ignorance, which contribute to what this article calls the
Resistance Model.
Abstract; Some proponents of moral bioenhancement propose that people should utilize biomedical practices to enhance the faculties and traits that are associated with moral agency, such as empathy and a sense of justice. The hope is that doing so will improve our ability to meet the moral challenges that have emerged in our contemporary, globalized world. In this paper, we caution against this view by arguing that biomedically inducing more empathy may, in fact, diminish moral agency. We argue that this type of increase in empathy would not be effective for addressing empathy's vulnerability to the biases that can undermine moral judgment. Furthermore, doing so may undermine the important capacity to regulate empathy. We determine that if the moral enhancement project is to be a serious one, it must address these challenges.