The Ohio State University Center for Ethics and Human Values

2nd Annual Workshop on Democracy and Social Change

2nd Annual Workshop on Democracy and Social Change

CEHV is pleased to host its second annual OSU Workshop on Democracy and Social Change. The series invites leading researchers to Ohio State to engage our community of philosophers and political theorists in exploring themes broadly related to civil discourse and pluralistic democratic society. 

Green Oval

THEME
Our 2026 workshop will be on the theme of "Moving Between Cultures and Enacting Social Change." As societies become increasingly interconnected, individuals frequently navigate multiple cultural worlds—whether through migration, exile, diaspora, or even intellectual/ideological rootedness. These experiences of cultural transition can profoundly shape how people imagine, articulate, and strive for social transformation. But how do such movements across cultural boundaries inform our visions of justice, democracy, and collective life? Can the friction of navigating different cultural frameworks generate novel insights into social change?

This workshop invites philosophers, political theorists, and scholars from related normative disciplines to explore the connections between cultural movement and democratic transformation. Together, we aim to illuminate how cultural movement serves not merely as a site of personal transformation but as a potential catalyst for broader democratic and social change.

SPEAKERS
Invited speakers include: José Medina (Northwestern), Michael Hames-García (UT-Austin), Sonia Sikka (Ottawa), Briana Toole (Claremont McKenna), Lidal Dror (Princeton), and Gina Schouten (Harvard).

Ohio State commentators include: Amy Shuster (Philosophy/ASC), Mytheli Sreenivas (Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies/ASC), Casidy Campbell (African American & African Studies/ASC), Kathryn Joyce (CEHV/ASC), Dana Howard (Bioethics/COM, Philosophy/ASC), and Winston Thompson (Educational Studies/EHE). Attendees will include OSU researchers from various departments. 

 

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

 

PAPERS