CALL FOR PAPERS
Book Symposium
Abstract: Under the light of ancient Western philosophies, our darker moods like grief, anguish, and depression can seem irrational. When viewed through the lens of modern psychology, they can even look like mental disorders. The self-help industry, determined to sell us the promise of a brighter future, can sometimes leave us feeling ashamed that we are not more grateful, happy, or optimistic. Night Vision invites us to consider a different approach to life, one in which we stop feeling bad about feeling bad.
In this powerful and disarmingly intimate book, Existentialist philosopher Mariana Alessandri draws on the stories of a diverse group of nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophers and writers to help us see that our suffering is a sign not that we are broken but that we are tender, perceptive, and intelligent. Thinkers such as Audre Lorde, María Lugones, Miguel de Unamuno, C. S. Lewis, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Søren Kierkegaard sat in their anger, sadness, and anxiety until their eyes adjusted to the dark. Alessandri explains how readers can cultivate “night vision” and discover new sides to their painful moods, such as wit and humor, closeness and warmth, and connection and clarity.
Night Vision shows how, when we learn to embrace the dark, we begin to see these moods—and ourselves—as honorable, dignified, and unmistakably human.
Author Bio: Mariana Alessandri is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the nation’s first bilingual university. In addition, she and her partner are the founders of RGV PUEDE, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote dual language education in South Texas public schools. They live on the border with their two tesoros.
Guest Editor: Dave Beisecker specializes in the philosophy of language, philosophical logic, and the classical pragmatist tradition. His most recent research shows how insights from the pragmatist tradition (largely coming from C. S. Peirce) can inform debates in contemporary philosophy of mind, language, and logic. He is a former president of the Southwestern Philosophical Society. Beisecker holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh (1999).
Journal of Philosophy of Emotion
The Journal of Philosophy of Emotion (JPE) is planning to publish a book symposium on Dr. Mariana Alessandri's latest book, Night Vision, and we are looking for commentators who are interested in engaging in a critical discussion of it, with the aim of moving the discourse on relevant topics highlighted by her book. We are hoping to publish this book symposium in the JPE’s Winter (January) 2026. If you are interested, please email kayleightimmer[dot]jpe[at]gmail[dot]com, informing us of your interest, along with a copy of your CV, by August 23, 2024. Please also make sure to specify the book symposium in the email subject line. We will contact you by August 30th, 2024, with a decision regarding your expressed interest and any further details. Commentaries for the JPE will be due one month after the Society for Philosophy of Emotion (SPE)-American Philosophical Association (APA) affiliated group session for this book symposium (read below). Invited commentators will each receive a free PDF of Night Vision to review for their commentary, unless a hard copy is preferred. In the meantime, we recommend that those interested in possibly commenting on Dr. Alessandri's book check with their local university library. Independent scholars should also note that most local university libraries provide community access to residents.
We encourage a diversity of scholars of all ranks who are interested in participating as a commentator to respond to this CFP, provided that they are willing and able to commit to fulfilling the expectations set by the JPE's submission guidelines and the JPE’s double-anonymous peer review process. Please refer to past issues of the JPE for examples, and all submissions must adhere to the JPE’s style guideline (which includes a Google Doc manuscript template), and note that authors are responsible for providing all necessary DOIs and appropriately formatting their references. All contributors are also responsible for copyediting their own submissions and providing any requested citation information, although the JPE will also conduct a preliminary review and copyedit check of all submissions accepted to go to peer review. No submission will be sent to peer review without the appropriate formatting, in accordance with the JPE style guidelines. The JPE also requires a submission fee of $35, or you can become a member of the Society for Philosophy of Emotion (SPE), which includes a one time JPE submission fee waiver. The JPE is an independently published, open-access journal, and all manuscript submission fees go toward paying for operating costs and providing need based subventions to facilitate diverse and inclusive participation. Our completely transparent Financial Report is also made available for your review.
Commentators will be selected not only based on their qualifications, but also based on their cooperative compliance and the consideration for the value of diversity and inclusiveness among equally qualified commentators. Potential contributors are also welcome to let us know in their letter of interest that they would be willing to referee the composed book symposium if for some reason they were not invited to contribute a commentary, but would still like to contribute to the book symposium. All referees may also choose to be publicly acknowledged in a subsequent issue of the JPE. A digital copy of the book will be provided to those invited to contribute a commentary and to those interested in peer reviewing the completed book symposium. Please let us know if you will also need a hard copy.
Society for Philosophy of Emotion
Accepted commentators will also be invited to present their commentaries during an online book symposium, as a part of a SPE-APA affiliated group session at the 2025 Central APA, which is expected to be entirely online. Commentaries for this book symposium are due six (6) weeks before the SPE-APA session date, and author replies are due (3) weeks before the session date, in accordance with the APA meeting participation guidelines and prior to the due date for the JPE book symposium.
Please note that commentators who agree to participate in this online book symposium will not be eligible for any funding assistance from the APA since only those who are presenting in an APA main program event are eligible for such funding. Participants would also be required to register for the 2025 Central APA conference, and be a member of the SPE at the time of their participation. An online SPE social will also be organized as a part of the session events.