Joshua Forstenzer
BA, MA, PhD (University of Sheffield), FHEA, FRSA
Department of Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy
Director of UG Recruitment and Admissions
Co-Director of the Centre of Engaged Philosophy
Full contact details
Department of Philosophy
45 Victoria Street
Sheffield
S3 7QB
- Profile
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I am a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Co-Director of the Centre for Engaged Philosophy. I work mostly on John Dewey, the tradition of American pragmatism, democratic education, and other related topics. My work has been supported by the British Academy, the Yale Centre for Faith and Culture, and Higher Education Innovation Funding. My research and teaching are driven by the sense that philosophy, at its best, can operate across disciplinary boundaries and engage meaningfully with public concerns. I have held visiting and residency roles at the Harvard Kennedy School, Tufts' College of Civic Life, the European Parliament, and in civic organisations in the UK and in France.
- Research interests
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My research interests are in American Pragmatism, Philosophy of Education, and Social and Political Philosophy. My first book, Deweyan Experimentalism and the Problem of Method in Political Philosophy (Routledge, 2019) addresses the relevance of John Dewey's philosophy for contemporary social and political philosophy. I have also published papers on Dewey's democratic ideal, theories of citizen disengagement, Richard Rorty's ethnocentric liberalism, the benefits of philosophical education, and epistemic vice in higher education policy.
My current projects address the role of gratitude in Cornel West's prophetic pragmatism, the significance of 'consummatory experiences' in undergraduate education, and the civic benefits of philosophical education. In particular, Dr Vachararutai Boontinand and I were awarded a British Academy Newton Advanced Fellowship and a Thailand Research Fund grant to undertake a project entitled 'Philosophical Enquiry as a Pedagogy for Teaching Critical Thinking and Democratic Citizenship in Higher Education' (2018-2021).
- Publications
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Books
- Deweyan Experimentalism and the Problem of Method in Political Philosophy. Routledge.
Journal articles
- Epistemic corruption and the research impact agenda. Theory and Research in Education, 19(2), 148-167.
- The Teaching Excellence Framework, epistemic insensibility and the question of purpose. Journal of Philosophy of Education. View this article in WRRO
- Deweyan Democracy, Robert Talisse, and the Fact of Reasonable Pluralism: A Rawlsian Response. Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, 53(4), 553-578. View this article in WRRO
- A Democratic Ideal for Troubled Times: John Dewey, Civic Action, and Peaceful Conflict Resolution. Journal of Human Rights and Peace Studies. View this article in WRRO
- Defending What From Whom? Debating Citizen Disengagement. The Political Quarterly, 86(4), 550-554. View this article in WRRO
- The early years of Philosophy in the City: A retrospective dialogue. Journal of Philosophy in Schools.
- Youth philosophy conferences and the development of adolescent social skills in advance. Precollege Philosophy and Public Practice. View this article in WRRO
Chapters
- The Unity of Pragmatism*, Pragmatic Reason (pp. 24-41). Routledge
- Beyond Relativism? Rorty and MacIntyre on Historicism and Progress, Handbuch Richard Rorty (pp. 847-863). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden
- Paying Tribute, A Theology of Gratitude (pp. 171-185). Cambridge University Press
- Re-enchanting Undergraduate Education: On the Project of Metamorphosis in English Higher Education, Debating Higher Education: Philosophical Perspectives (pp. 81-92). Springer Singapore
- Beyond Relativism? Rorty and MacIntyre on Historicism and Progress In Müller M (Ed.), Handbuch Richard Rorty Springer VS View this article in WRRO
- Reconsidering Dewey's Democratic Socialism in the Age of Populism In Reder M, Filipovic A, Finkelde D & Wallacher J (Ed.), Jahrbuch Praktische Philosophie in Globaler Perspektive / Yearbook Practical Philosophy in a Global Perspective Schwerpunkt: Pragmatistische Impulse / Focus: Exploring Pragmatist Options (pp. 50-73). Munchen: Verlag Karl Aber. View this article in WRRO
- Humanism, Democracy and Engaged Learning
- Education, active citizenship and applied social intelligence: Some democratic tools to meet the threat of climate change, Rethinking Climate Change Research: Clean Technology, Culture and Communication (pp. 177-191).
- Paying Tribute: Cornel West’s Prophetic Gratitude as Social Movement Building and Self-Transcendence In Siddiqui M & Vette N (Ed.), A Theology of Gratitude: Christian and Muslim Perspectives
Book reviews
- "Inequality and the 1%" by Danny Dorling. Marx and Philosophy Review of Books.
- A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy. Journal of Moral Philosophy, 8(1), 161-164.
- What Can Justice-Seeking Social Movements Teach Us About Democracy?. Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture, 6(3), 121-124.
Conference proceedings papers
- Something Has Cracked: Post-Truth Politics and Richard Rorty’s Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism. Ash Center Occasional Papers, Vol. July 2018. Cambridge, Massachusetts View this article in WRRO
Reports
- Written evidence submitted by Dr. Joshua Forstenzer (PQE0106) in response to 'Purpose and quality of education in England' Parliamentary inquiry
- The Teaching Excellence Framework: What's the Purpose? View this article in WRRO
- Written evidence by Dr Joshua Forstenzer (QHE 13) in response to 'Assessing quality in Higher Education' Parliamentary inquiry
Website content
- Reply to 'On Being Educated'. View this article in WRRO
- Transformation or Barbarism: Pragmatist Education in the Face of Catastrophe. View this article in WRRO
- Deweyan Experimentalism and the Problem of Method in Political Philosophy. Routledge.
- Research group
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I am keen to supervise postgraduate students in the Philosophy Department or through the Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies. Students interested in the philosophy of education, democratic theory, social and political philosophy (especially those working in the traditions of pragmatism and critical theory), and American Pragmatism are welcome to get in touch with me.
Primary supervision:
- Peter Worley: Why Philosophy for Children? The Greeks and the Pragmatists
- Tahmin Yesmin Shova: Active Citizenship and Multiculturalism
Secondary supervision:
- Bayram Gunce: Religious Education and Critical Realism
- Teaching interests
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My teaching is driven by an engaged pedagogic outlook, rooted in the Deweyan tradition of 'learning by doing'. I have received training from both SAPERE and The Philosophy Foundation, so my teaching is influenced by pedagogic practices rooted in the community of philosophical enquiry, as well by pedagogic efforts spear-headed by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical orientations to flourishing.
- Teaching activities
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Teaching Activities:
Undergraduate:
PHI 135 - Writing PhilosophyPHI 31011 - How to Change the World From Here? Utopia, Reform and Democracy
Postgraduate:
PHI 61012 - How to Change the World From Here? Utopia, Reform and Democracy