Sally Haslanger

Sally Haslanger is the Ford Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she has made significant contributions to analytic philosophy, feminist theory, and social constructionism. Born in 1955, she earned her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985 and has previously taught at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Her research focuses on the social construction of categories like race and gender, metaphysical questions of persistence through change, and the relationship between epistemology and social justice. Haslanger's work bridges analytic philosophy with critical social theory, challenging traditional philosophical boundaries while maintaining rigorous analytical standards.

Her publications show a consistent engagement with social ontology, critical race theory, and feminist philosophy, with recent work focusing on structural injustice, social critique methodologies, and the materiality of social systems. Her influential book Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique (2012) won the American Philosophical Association's Joseph B. Gittler Award in 2014.

Among her notable awards:

• Guggenheim Fellowship (2018)
• Carus Lecturer (2011)
• Society for Women in Philosophy Distinguished Woman Philosopher Award (2010)
• Joseph B. Gittler Award (2014)

Haslanger has been actively involved in reshaping philosophical discourse, serving as president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association and being elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2015. She continues to be a leading voice in contemporary philosophy, with recent engagements including the Walter Benjamin Lectures at Humboldt University in Berlin (2023).