Dwayne Tunstall

Dwayne Tunstall is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Grand Valley State University, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Philosophy from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a B.A. in Philosophy from Christopher Newport University, and an A.A.S. in General Studies from Rappahannock Community College.

His primary research areas include:

• American Philosophy, especially African American Philosophy and Josiah Royce
• Existentialism in 20th-century European and Africana traditions
• Moral, social, and religious philosophy
• Philosophy of race and racial identity
• Philosophical idealism and personal identity

Professor Tunstall's recent scholarly work critically examines Josiah Royce’s ethico-religious insights and explores diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, advocating for a shift from numerical diversity to deeper inclusion. He is currently developing a long-term project on early 20th-century African-American philosophical idealism through the works of Thomas Nelson Baker and William H. Ferris.

He has held significant professional roles, including:

• Editor, Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society (2017–2021)
• Secretary, Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy
• Executive Director, Philosophy Born of Struggle
• Editor, American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Philosophy and the Black Experience
• Editorial board member for The Acorn, Dewey Studies, and Marcel Studies

His major publications include two books: Yes, But Not Quite: Encountering Josiah Royce’s Ethico-Religious Insight (Fordham University Press, 2009/2014) and Doing Philosophy Personally: Thinking about Metaphysics, Theism, and Antiblack Racism (Fordham University Press, 2013), along with over twenty journal articles and book chapters. He has co-edited a volume on Orientalist Writers for The Dictionary of Literary Biography.