Intercultural Knowledge
First Anna Tumarkin lectures
The Institute of Philosophy has launched a series of lectures, the Anna Tumarkin Lectures in Philosophy, where internationally renowned female philosophers present their current work. Amie Thomasson kicked the series off with “Rethinking Metaphysics”.
A new series of lectures launched in 2022 honors the outstanding work of leading philosophers: Anna Tumarkin Lectures in Philosophy.
Every two years, an internationally renowned philosopher presents their current work at the University of Bern over the course of three evenings, with all lectures conducted in English. The first of the Anna Tumarkin Lectures took place in May 2022: Amie Thomasson of the US talked about “Rethinking Metaphysics”.
This series of lectures was conceived as a platform for charismatic female role models in philosophy – assuming that women are underrepresented in philosophy, in particular, and more frequently fail to achieve career goals like a professorship.
Anna Tumarkin (1875-1951) was a philosopher who, in many ways, played a pioneering role for women in the academic world. She followed a normal career path to earn a regular university professorship and become one of the first female professors in Europe. A Russian-Jewish immigrant, she studied in Bern, spent some time in Berlin and completed her habilitation (qualification to teach at a university) in Bern, after which she became a professor of philosophy in Bern in 1909.