An expansion of voice that contributes to the emergence of (new) onto-epistemological possibilities

Stephanie Ifill is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Westminster. She is the awardee of the University of Westminster’s Quintin Hogg PhD Studentship in Politics and the recipient of the PhD PSA[1]Political Studies Association Diverse Voices Scholarship. Stephanie’s work is a political onto-epistemology of becoming, of coming to voice. Her philosophy, characterised as a profound act of “languaging,” courageously articulates from the intricacies of her entangled terrain.

 
Awards
  • Graduate winner for the Annual Conference: Southern Journal of Philosophy Workshop on “Fanon and Phenomenology. Memphis University (2023)
  • Awarded the PSA (Political Studies Association) Diverse Voices Scholarship (2022-2023)
  • Awarded the University of Westminster Quintin Hogg PhD Studentship in Politics (2021)
  • Recipient of the Rising Star Award at the House of Lords (2012) for outstanding commitment to enriching the lives of girls and young women in the local community
  • Recipient of the Rosa Grant, for the social project Shape Your Culture (SYC) (2012 – 2014). SYC encouraged and facilitated projects where participants expressed their frustration, honed their messages and creatively used their voices
 
Conferences and Presentations
  • Applied Philosophy of Science and Epistemology Lecture Series – Vienna University – Oct 2023, Vienna, Austria – ‘What is the possibility of epistemic non-existence?’ [Lecture]
  • Surviving Translations: On being between worlds Workshop – Vienna University – Aug 2023, Vienna, Austria – ‘On Being Centred’ [paper]
  • Annual Conference: Southern Journal of Philosophy Workshop on “Fanon and Phenomenology – The University of Memphis – March 2023, Memphis, USA – ‘The Lived Experience of Invisibility’ [paper]
  • British and Irish Postgraduate Philosophy Association (BIPPA) Annual Conference 2022: Race, Gender, Identity – November 2022, Dublin, Ireland – ‘Her Self that Moves and is Moved by the Gendered Racialised World’ [paper]
  • XII Lisbon Summer School for the Study of Culture: Masquerades 2022 – June 2022, Lisbon – ‘Movement and (un)masking: the cracking of the white mask’ [paper]
  • Annual Social Science Conference 2022 – May 2022, London – ‘The self in and not outside of theory’ [paper]
 
Discussions
  • Professor Heidi Safia Mirza Keynote Lecture – June 2023 – “One in a Million”: Stories of solidarity, survival, and success inside the Ivory Tower [chair]
  • Graduate School Festival 2022 – May, 2022, London & Online – ‘Thinking of doing a PhD? Panel Discussion’ [panellist]
  • Towards An Anti-Racist University Conference 2022 – May 2022, London -‘Researching while Black: negotiating claims and realities as PhD researchers’ [panellist]
 
Grants
  • Honorary travel Grant for Annual Conference: Southern Journal of Philosophy Workshop on “Fanon and Phenomenology. Memphis. United States America. (29 March- 1 April) [Memphis University and the Centre for the Study of Democracy]
  • Travel Grant for BIPPA Annual Conference 2022: Race, Gender, Identity. Dublin, Ireland (11-12 November, 2022) [the British and Irish Postgraduate Philosophy Association and Global Experience Bursary]
  • Travel Grant for the Phenomenology Summer School: Kosmos, Nature, Life-World. Venice, Italy (4-8 July, 2022) [Global Experience Bursary]
  • Travel Grant for the XII Lisbon Summer School for the Study of Culture: Masquerades. Lisbon, Portugal (27 June – 2 July , 2022) [Globally Engaged Research]
  • Travel Grant for Embodied (un)certainties: Producing knowledge from the margin. A PhD workshop on affective queerfeminist epistemologies. Vienna, Austria ( 28 – 29 April, 2022) [Faculty of Social Sciences, the research platform GAIN, the Vienna Doctoral School of Philosophy (VDP), the Institute of Philosophy and the Centre for the Study of Democracy]
 
Teaching
  • Stephanie has a keen interest in what constitutes knowledge, but more to the point, how can we bring that which is fundamental, closer to us. Her work can be characterised as a political onto-epistemological act of languaging, as a Black Woman whose authoritative voice as a knower has been patternly neglected. Such an act requires attentive methodological effort.
  • Her work brings us closer to questions such as: What are we doing when we are conceiving of knowledge? What gets to be seen? What gets to appear? How can we open up knowledge in a way that does not cover over knowings? Her lectures explore ways of knowings that considers livedness of experience, feelings as a genuine mode of givenness, temporal dialogues, listening from diasporic ontological fields, writing as a form, metaphoric iterations, and dreaming.
  • She also enjoys delivering Black Feminist philosophy listening sessions. Stephanie teaches at Westminster University, England, and has taught at Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
 
Impact
Public and media engagement
  • Presenter for the Global Body BBC episode, Aired Dec 2012 / Europe: Britain-nation-wide, Nation-wide broadcast (BBC), Digital
  • Positioned as Editor for the first women-centred Building Economist Journal edition. Increasing engagement during my term by 170%, 2017-18 / Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Asia: Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, India, Middle-east: United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Online & Print
  • Creator of the modelmeter, an interactive structure- acclaimed in London and Buenos Aires – sparking critical discussion surrounding the limited portrayal of women in the media, 2013 / Europe: Britain-London, South America: Argentina-Buenos Aires, interactive
  • Judge for All Walks Beyond the Catwalk ‘Diversity Now’ national Student Competition in association with i-D Magazine / Europe: Britain-London
  • Judge for the very first Body Confidence Awards held at the Houses of Parliament, 2012. These Awards recognised and celebrated the achievements and best practice of those who promote body confidence within various industries. Nominees included Dove, Marks & Spencer and the Girl Guides / Europe: Britain-London
Service and consultations
  • Centre for the Study of Democracy PhD Representative, Westminster University (2021- 2023)
  • Co-organiser of the Annual Social Science Conference 2022, Westminster University (May 2022)
  • Elected Student Representative for Masters Politics and Society (2019-2020) Maastricht University
  • Core team member for Justice is Global Europe (2020) a transnational grassroots organisation
  • Editorial Board Member for think tank Studio Europa Maastricht (2020) a place for critical dialogue and engagement on Europe
  • Diversity (DIAS) Student Committee member (2019-2020) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University
  • Educational Programme Student Committee member (2019-2020) MA Arts and Culture, Maastricht University
  • Art Director for EB International Summit (2012) a local-global initiative that challenged aspects of culture and industries that promoted negative body image. Media support featured twice academy-award winner Emma Thompson
  • Core team member of Anybody (2011-2014) led by Dr Susie Orbach. Encouraging a change in cultural attitudes towards bodies. Projects range from awareness-raising and educating to political advising
  • Steering group member for the Campaign for body confidence co-founded by Jo Swinson MP and Lynne Featherstone MP (2011 – 2013)
  • Campaign stakeholder and Expert for the ‘Campaign for body confidence’ (2013) chaired by Caroline Nokes MP
       
 

stephanie ifill