Stephanie Spoto

Stephanie Spoto is a Lecturer in Humanities & Communication at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and Philosophy at Monterey Peninsula College. She holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh, focusing on esoteric philosophy's influence on early modern literature and politics. Her research explores intersections between occult traditions, Scottish travelers' encounters with Ottoman Muslim cultures, and critical race theory. She has been an International Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia, Bulgaria (2013), and presented work at the Southern California Renaissance Conference (2017).

Her academic contributions include peer-review roles for journals like Forum and Concerned Philosophers for Peace, and service as a reader for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. She has published in venues such as Pacific Coast Philology and The Journal of Monsters and the Monstrous. Recent work addresses racism and perception in Wittgenstein, Aspect Blindness, and White Supremacy (forthcoming in Critical Philosophy of Race).

Research interests span early modern literature, feminist scholarship, and philosophy of perception. She coordinates a community philosophy reading group in Monterey and has engaged in public discourse via podcasts like The SRB Podcast. Her scholarship bridges historical analysis with contemporary social justice themes, notably in pedagogical approaches challenging hierarchies.

• Key Grants: 2009 Centre for Renaissance Studies Research Grant for study of John Selden's De Diis Syris
• Publications: Over 10 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters since 2010

Her work demonstrates interdisciplinary engagement with both historical texts and modern ethical frameworks, particularly addressing race, gender, and pedagogy through philosophical lenses.