Amy Allen (born 1970) is an American liberal arts research professor of philosophy and women's, gender, and sexuality studies at

The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855 as Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Pe ...

, where she is also head of department. Previously, she was the Parents distinguished research professor in the humanities, and professor of philosophy and gender and women's studies, at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

, and was chair of its department of philosophy from 2006 to 2012. Her research takes a critical approach to feminist approaches of power, and attempts to broaden traditional feminist understandings of power to apply to transnational issues.

Education and career

Allen received a bachelor's degree from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

in 1992, and a master's and doctorate in philosophy from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, in 1992 and 1996 respectively. She spent 1996–1997 as a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

and 1997–1999 as a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at

, before accepting a permanent appointment there. In 2004, she was promoted to associate professor and received a cross-appointment in the women's and gender studies department. She spent a term abroad as visiting professor of philosophy at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

in 2006, before returning to Dartmouth and chairing the philosophy department for six years. She has sat on the executive committee of the eastern division of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

, and has been an executive co-director of the

Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy The Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP) is a philosophical society whose initial purpose was to promote the study of phenomenology and existentialism but has since expanded to a wide array of contemporary philosophica ...

, a co-editor-in-chief of '' Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory'', and editor of the series ''New Directions in Critical Theory'' published by

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...

Publications

Allen has published three books: ''The Power of Feminist Theory: Domination, Resistance, Solidarity,'The Politics of Our Selves: Power, Autonomy and Gender in Contemporary Critical Theory'' and ''The End of Progress: Critical Theory in Postcolonial Times''. ''The Power of Feminist Theory'' was a revised version of Allen's dissertation that focused on assessing pre-existing feminist understandings of power combining the insight offered by poststructuralists with that of normative critical theory, despite the fact that the two camps are often considered to be diametrically opposed. Allen's second book built on the foundations of her first, attempting to bridge the gap between Foucaultian and Habermasian critical theory. Her third attends to a critique of the oft-called fourth generation of the Frankfurt School Critical Theory, based on its continued usage of concepts such as progress and development. Allen challenges what she sees as eurocentrism in the work of theorists such as Axel Honneth, Rainer Forst and Jürgen Habermas and proposes a revision of the tenets of Critical Theory in light of Postcolonial Studies and Decolonial Thought.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Amy Living people Dartmouth College faculty Northwestern University alumni American women philosophers Scholars of feminist philosophy Miami University alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Critical theorists Philosophers from New Hampshire Philosophers from Florida 1970 births