Contact Information

• kmaitra@unca.edu
• 251-6365
• 239 Whitesides Hall

Office Hours

• Tuesday 4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
• Wednesday 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
• Thursday 4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
• Note: Dr. Maitra is also available for office hours by appointment.

Biography

Keya Maitra is a Professor of Philosophy. She has a Ph.D. in philosophy of language from the University of Hyderabad in India and a second Ph.D. in philosophy of mind from the University of Connecticut. In her teaching and research, she focuses on Cross-cultural philosophy, philosophy of mind, Philosophy of Bhagavad Gita, third-world feminism, philosophy of science and epistemology of mindfulness. She approaches philosophy as an engaged discipline that offers us locations to engage critically with contemporary social issues. She was the Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor of Humanities from 2018-2022.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

• B.A. - University of Burdwan, India
• M.A. - Visva Bharati University, India
• M. Phil., University of Hyderabad, India
• Ph.D. - University of Hyderabad, India
• Ph.D. - University of Connecticut

Recent Courses Taught

• Logic, Creativity and Culture
• Introduction to Philosophy
• Introduction to Ethics
• Introduction to Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
• Introduction to Logic
• Asian Philosophies
• Buddhist Philosophy
• Indian Philosophy
• Critical Thinking
• Philosophy of Third World Feminism
• The Philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Consciousness
• History of Modern Philosophy
• Gandhi & King: Peace and Non-Violence
• Consciousness & Self-Consciousness: A Comparative Perspective
• Philosophies of Perception
• Senior Capstone Colloquium: Cultivating Citizenship in the Contemporary World
• Sustainable Cultures (for the Environmental and Cultural Sustainability Masters Certificate)

Selected Publications

Books

• 2022 The Feminist Philosophy of Mind, Oxford University Press (co-edited with Jennifer McWeeny) (Peer Reviewed)
• 2021 Ethics of Governance: Moral Limits of Policy Decisions, Springer (co-authored with Shashi Motilal and Prakriti Prajapati) (Peer Reviewed)
• 2018 Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita: A Contemporary Introduction, Bloomsbury Publishing (Peer Reviewed)
  • Article length review by Malcolm Keating at Philosophy East and West 69:3
  • Reviewed at the American Academy of Religion’s online book review website Reading Religion
  • Featured in the New Books in Philosophy Podcast on 8/15/2018
  • Used in The Partially Examined Life Blog episode 204 on 12/3/2018

• 2003 On Putnam (Wadsworth Philosophers Series), Wadsworth-Thomson Learning, CA. (Peer Reviewed)

Published Journal Articles

• 2022 “Consciousness and Attention in the Bhagavad Gita” Journal of the APA Special Series in Non-Western Philosophical Traditions (Peer Reviewed)
• 2022  “Bhagavad Gita” In The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion (Invited)
• 2020 “From Accidental to Integral: My journey with doing philosophy” in Special Issue of APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian American Philosophers and Philosophies titled “What Is It Like to Be a Philosopher of Asian Descent?” Vol 20:1; pp. 42-43. (Invited)
• 2020 “Testimonial Injustice and a Case for Mindful Epistemology” The Southern Journal of Philosophy, Vol 58:1; pp. 137-160. (Peer Reviewed)
• 2019 “The Nature of the disposition to care: Discursive and Pre-discursive Dimensions” Philosophy East and West vol. 69:3; pp. 863-869. (Invited)
• 2015 "Externalism & Self-Knowledge: A Solution from Sellars" in the Special Issue of TAULA on W. Sellars, vol. 46; pp. 77-88. (Peer reviewed)
• 2013 “Questions of Identity & Agency in Feminism without Borders: A Mindful Response” Hypatia Special Issue on Crossing Borders, vol. 28:2; pp. 360-376. (Peer reviewed)
• 2012 “Ambedkar & the Constitution of India: A Deweyan Experiment” Democratic Experimentalism, Special Issue of Contemporary Pragmatism, vol. 9:2; pp. 301-320. (Invited)
• 2009 “Meanings of ‘Multiculturalism’: Can Philosophy be Taught from a Truly Multiculturalist Perspective?” Journal of Indian Philosophy and Religion, Vol. 14; pp. 115-128 (Peer reviewed)
• 2006 “Comparing the Bhagavad-Gita and Kant: A Lesson in Comparative Philosophy” in Philosophy in the Contemporary World, vol. 13:1, Spring; pp. 63-67. (Peer reviewed)
• 2005 “Privileged Knowledge: Privileged in Access or Privileged in Authority?” Southwest Philosophy Review, vol. 21:2, July; pp. 101-114. (Peer Reviewed)

Published Book Chapters

• 2022 “Toward a Feminist Theory of Content” in Feminist Theory of Mind (co-edited by Keya Maitra & Jennifer McWeeny) Oxford University Press. (Peer Reviewed)
• 2022 “What is Feminist Philosophy of Mind?” (Introduction co-written with Jennifer McWeeny for Feminist Philosophy of Mind (co-edited by Keya Maitra & Jennifer McWeeny) Oxford University Press. (Peer Reviewed)
• 2018 “Dignāga and Sellars: Through the Lens of Privileged Access” in Wilfrid Sellars and Buddhist Philosophy: Freedom from Foundations (Routledge Studies in American Philosophy) edited by Jay L. Garfield; Routledge; pp. 159-174. (Peer reviewed)
• 2018 “Not a Matter of Will: A Narrative and Cross-Cultural Exploration of Maternal Ambivalence” in Lived Experiences of Women in Academia: Metaphors, Manifestos and Memoir (with Melissa Burchard) edited by Alison L. Black arid Susanne Garvis; Routledge; pp. 152-160 (Peer reviewed).
• 2017 “Nyaya Theory of Concepts” in Handbook to Indian Epistemology and Metaphysics (ed. Joerg Tuske); Bloomsbury Publishing; pp. 381-395 (Invited).
• 2014 “Mindfulness, Anatman, and the Possibility of a Feminist Self-consciousness” in
• Asian and Feminist Philosophies in Dialogue: Liberating Traditions (eds J. McWeeny & A. Butnor); Columbia University Press; pp. 101-122 (Peer Reviewed).