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Kyla Bruff

German Idealism; Critical theory; 20th c. French Philosophy; Social and Political Philosophy; Existentialism; Romanticism

Degrees:B.A. (Memorial University), M.A. (University of Bonn), PGCE (Kingston University London), Ph.D. (Memorial University)
Email:Kyla.Bruff@carleton.ca
Office:3A56 Paterson Hall

Assistant Professor

Office Hours

Tuesdays, 3 – 5 pm or by appointment (in person).

Courses for 2022-23

  • PHIL 2330: Happiness and the Good Life
  • PHIL 3009: Topics in European Philosophy
  • PHIL 4005: Seminar in Modern Philosophy
  • PHIL 5600: Topics in the History of Philosophy

Biography

My research interests lie primarily in 19th and 20th century German and French social and political philosophy. In general, I investigate the metaphysical commitments and historical roots of contemporary ideological orientations. I am currently researching different concepts of civil society in relation to questions of the state and identity in German Idealism and Critical Theory. An additional one of my ongoing projects develops a critical analysis of populism out of the work of Theodor W. Adorno. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on F.W.J. Schelling’s political philosophy—the first standalone monograph on the topic in English.

In addition to my research, I am committed to innovative, practical approaches to carrying out philosophy in public. My work in applied and social philosophy is particularly exemplified through my activities as Co-Director of the ecological NPO For A New Earth (FANE). In this role, I have mobilized philosophy in the public sphere and contributed to policy debates in Newfoundland and Labrador. I am particularly passionate about local, grass-roots action addressing climate change and related ecological issues. FANE has accordingly hosted numerous public events on the ecological effects of specific industries and government megaprojects. My op-ed articles and radio interviews have also addressed themes in feminism and other current political and ecological matters.

I am an active translator from French and German into English. My published translations include the first appearance of Schelling’s Late Political Philosophy: Lectures 22-24 of the Presentation of the Purely Rational Philosophy in English.

My other roles in bringing Schelling’s work to contemporary audiences include serving as the Managing Editor of Kabiri: The Official Journal of the North American Schelling Society, the Treasurer of the North American Schelling Society, and Co-editor of the Palgrave Schelling Handbook.

Research Interests

  • German Idealism: Kant, Schelling, Hegel
  • Critical theory, especially the Frankfurt School
  • 20th century French Philosophy
  • Social and political philosophy
  • Existentialism
  • German Romanticism

Selected Publications

“Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling,” Deleuze’s Philosophical Lineage II, Graham Jones and John Roffe, eds., Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2019.

“The Implications of Schelling’s Metaphysics of Contingency for Phenomenology,” Kabiri: The Official Journal of the North American Schelling Society 1, 2018.

“The Aesthetic in Moral Education: Schiller, Kant, Plato and Read,” Moral Upbringing Through Arts and Literature, Pawel Kazmierczak and Jolanta Rzegocka, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018.

“Le corps, la perception et l’ontologie: Merleau-Ponty, médiateur entre le dernier Heidegger et le premier Foucault,” La vie dans l’homme ou l’homme dans la vie?, Thomas Ebke and Caterina Zanfi, eds., Postadam: Universitätsverlag Potsdam, 2017.

“Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Deleuze: Thinking the Lived, Utopic Body (without Organs),” Innen – Außen – Anders: Körper bei Gilles Deleuze und Michel Foucault, Ann-Cathrin Drews, Katharina D. Martin, eds., Transcript: Edition Moderne Postmoderne, 2017.