CALL FOR PAPERS

Book Symposium

Abstract: Dirty dollars, tainted donors and "poverty porn" have caused a social backlash against philanthropy. As more wealth is concentrated in the hands of a rising number of billionaires, it is clear that the same system that created their wealth also perpetuates deep inequality, social injustice, and human suffering.

Philanthropists often give with strings attached. They want to make the world a better place, but insist on their own vision of what constitutes a better world. Some donors also pay with tainted money, give to hate groups, or use their money to launder their reputations. Nonprofits that ignore the warning signs are often complicit in the fallout that comes with "dark dollars."

Using case studies, Patricia Illingworth shows how to address this problem. She argues that approaching philanthropy through a human rights lens can improve the quality of giving, resolve urgent quandaries, and mitigate the social injustice that philanthropy can perpetuate. A philosopher and lawyer, Illingworth makes the case that people and organizations have human rights responsibilities that should guide philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. When philanthropy begins to acknowledge, respect, and protect human rights it will regain its social license and help to make the world a better place.

Author Bio: Patricia Illingworth is an author, philosopher, and lawyer who works on some of the most urgent social, ethical, and human rights problems that face people and their communities. She has been a Fellow at Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School and most recently, Senior Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is Professor of Philosophy and Business at Northeastern University. She lives in Cambridge, MA. Her website is https://www.patriciaillingworth.com/

Journal of Philosophy of Emotion

The Journal of Philosophy of Emotion (JPE) is planning to publish a book symposium on Dr. Patricia Illingworth's latest book, Giving Now, 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 us (submissions[dot]jpe[at]gmail[dot]com), informing us of your interest, along with a copy of your CV, by July 26, 2024. Please also make sure to specify the book symposium in the email subject line. We will contact you by August 2, 2024, with a decision regarding your expressed interest and any further details. Commentaries will be due November 29, 2024. Invited commentators will each receive a free PDF of Giving Now to review for their commentary, unless a hard copy is preferred. In the meantime, we recommend that those interested in possibly commenting on Dr. Illingworth'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.