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

What drives my research as a philosopher is curiosity about how inquiry succeeds under non-ideal circumstances. My work is case-based; I focus on the social and historical sciences and on questions such as: What counts as evidence? Are ideals of objectivity viable given the role that values and interests play in all aspects of inquiry? How do we make research accountable – in its aims and practice – to the diverse communities it affects? I publish on strategies of evidential reasoning in archaeology and feminist standpoint theory, and I’m exploring new lines of inquiry inspired by the UBC-based Indigenous/Science project. For more on my research interests, click here.
The Australian Academy of the Humanities recently announced their newly elected Fellows; I’m honoured to be among them:
Publication list (PDF) | Preprints via Dropbox | Short-form CV (PDF)
News and Current Projects
Community-Based Collaborative Research
“Crossing a Threshold: Collaborative Archaeology in Global Dialogue”: Archaeologies 2019 | Preprint
“Witnessing and Translating: Philosophy in the Field”
- 2019 Saunders Lecture: Australian radio broadcast
- UQAM Philosophy lecture (March 2019)
“A Plurality of Pluralisms: Collaborative Practice in Archaeology”: in Objectivity in Science (Springer 2015). Preprint
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
“Triangulation and Traceability: Radiocarbon Dating in Archaeology”: in Varieties of Data Journeys (Springer, forthcoming). Preprint
Extinct! Blog: “Glastonbury: Today, Tomorrow, 2,250 Years Ago”
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
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.
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
News & Interviews
Philosophy of Science Association: President (2019-2020) – 2019 Newsletter
Philosopher’s Zone: Australian Radio interview (June 2019)
RadioCIAMS interview: Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Sciences (March 2019)
The Transect – Part XII: a podcast with Sean Connaughton, Kody Huard, and Ian Sellars (January 2019)
Sci Phi Podcast: Interview (Episode 38, April 2018)
2013 SWIP Woman Philosopher of the Year
Brown University, Feminist Theory Archive: Wylie collection catalogue