Alison Wylie
Professor
Canada Research Chair (Tier I)
Philosophy of the Social and Historical Sciences
Department of Philosophy
University of British Columbia
Buch E370 – 1866 Main Mall
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada

I’m a philosopher of the social and historical sciences whose primary interests are to understand how we know what (we think) we know under non-ideal circumstances, and address issues of accountability that arise in research practice. I work on such questions as: What counts as evidence? Are ideals of objectivity viable given the central role that contextual values play in all aspects of inquiry? How do we make research accountable – in its aims and its practice – to the diverse communities it affects? In addition to characterizing strategies of practical evidential reasoning, I publish on feminist standpoint theory and on normative issues raised by an ethic of stewardship and collaborative practice in archaeology. For details, click here.
The Transect: Part XII
Publication list (PDF) | Preprints via Dropbox | Short-form CV (PDF)
News and Current Projects
Community-Based Collaborative Research
Co-PI and coordinator of the Reflections Group. UBC Research Cluster
- 2018 Keynote lectures: “Witnessing and Translating” – Values in Medicine, Science and Technology; Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice; Konstanz Workshop on Archaeology and Community Values
- “A Plurality of Pluralisms: Collaborative Practice in Archaeology” in Objectivity in Science, Padovani, Richardson and Tsou (eds.), Springer (2015). Preprint
Material Evidence: Learning From Archaeological Practice
Chapman and Wylie (Routledge 2015)
How do archaeologists make effective use of physical traces and material culture as repositories of evidence?
For details, click here
Evidential Reasoning in Archaeology
Chapman and Wylie (Bloomsbury 2016)
How do archaeologists work with the material traces they identify as a record of the cultural past?
For details, click here
2017 Dewey Lecture
Pacific Division APA
- “From the Ground Up: Philosophy of Archaeology” – May 2017
- Lecture (as a podcast) and Powerpoint slides available here
- APA Proceedings and Address 91 (Nov 2017): 118-136.
- Preprint available here
2016 Katz Distinguished Lecture
Simpson Center, University of Washington
- “What Knowers Know Well: Why Feminism Matters to Archaeology” – May 2016, 7:00pm, Kane Hall 120
- Lecture available on Youtube
- Published in Scientiae Studia 15.1 (2017): 13-38. Preprint
Professional News
Australian Association of Philosophy keynote (July 2019)
Extinct! Blog: “Glastonbury: Today, Tomorrow, 2,250 Years Ago”
Sci Phi Podcast: Interview (Episode 38, April 2018)
Philosophy of Science Association: President-elect – 2016 Election
2016 EPSA Interview on “Women In Science” with Michela Massima
2013 SWIP Woman Philosopher of the Year