Willa Saadat
PhD Philosophy
- Philosophy
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Contact details
- Email: w.saadat@sms.ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
-
40 George Square
- City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH8 9JX
Background
My research examines care’s radical political potential through a Beauvoirian and Marxian lens. I draw on central themes at the intersection of care ethics, Simone de Beauvoir's existentialism, and Marxist-feminist social theory. Drawing on these approaches to labour and social reproduction, I develop a political theory and ethic of care that challenges the assumption that care and dependency necessarily stand in tension with individual freedom. The thesis begins from a central problem: practices of care are indispensable for sustaining human life, and yet, they have historically been organised through social structures that have facilitated women’s unfreedom and subordination. While one might think that this is simply a problem of the unfair distribution of burdens, I make the case that care is much more than simply a burdensome fact of life. Rather it can be a source of freedom and a practice of Beauvoirian transcendence under non-alienating conditions.
Qualifications
MPhil. Stud, King's College London: Thesis pass with no corrections; Distinction on coursework.
Thesis: Doxastic Wronging. Examiners: Beri Marušić (Edinburgh) and Anna Mahtani (LSE).
BA (hons): Philosophy, King's College London, First Class.
Responsibilities & affiliations
Ongoing Co-organiser of New Work in Philosophy: https://newworkinphilosophy.substack.com
Ongoing Scottish Feminist Philosophy Network: https://scotfemphil.wixsite.com/my-site
2024 Organiser and Convenor, Reading Group on Diemut Bubeck, 'Gender, Care and Justice'
2023. Organiser and Convenor, Reading Group on Waheed Hussain, 'Living with the Invisible Hand'
2019 President, KCL Minorities and Philosophy Chapter
2018-20 Organiser and Convenor, Minorities and Philosophy Reading Group
Topics Covered: Metaphysics of Gender and Race, Alternative Epistemologies, Post-Colonialism
Undergraduate teaching
University of Edinburgh
Autumn 2025 Philosophy of Economics, Module Convenor: Dr Barry Maguire
Spring 2024 Introduction to the History of Philosophy B, Module Convenors: Dr Jenifer Marušić and Dr Takeshi Morisato
King’s College London
2023 Philosophy of Psychology, Psychology Department, Module Convener: Dr James Stazicker
2022 Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology Element, Module Convener: Prof. Clayton Littlejohn
2021 Epistemology I, Module Convener: Dr Winnie Ma
Research summary
Political and Social Philosophy, Ethics, Feminist Philosophy, Philosophy of Economics
Organiser
2024 Co-organiser, Scottish Feminist Philosophy Network Workshop, University of Edinburgh
2021 Co-organiser and Chair, ‘Algorithmic Fairness and Resentment’, Prof. Zoë Johnson King (USC) and Prof. Boris Babic (University of Toronto), in partnership with the Sowerby Philosophy and Medicine Project at King's College London.
2019 Organiser and Chair, ‘Against the Canon’, Dr Liam Kofi Bright (LSE), King’s College London
2019 Organiser, Two Day Conference: ‘Decolonisation: Shaping and Reshaping Reality’, King’s College London
Participant
Feb 2026. Love and Freedom in Marx and Beauvoir, Cornell University, Work in Progress Seminar
Jan 2026 Fittingness and Recognition in Emotional Labour, BIAPT Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh
August 2025 Differentiated Unity in Love and Care, Social Ontology Annual Conference, Trinity College Dublin
July 2025 Differentiated Unity in Love and Care, Marx and Philosophy Society Early Career Panel, UCL
June 2025 On the Exploitation and Oppression of Caregivers, Workshop on Ethics, Politics and Care in the Aging Society, University of Glasgow (Invited)
Dec 2024 Differentiated Unity in Love and Care, Scottish Feminist Philosophy Network, University of Edinburgh
June 2024 A Labour of Love: An Alienation-based Critique of commercial surrogacy, 14th Braga Meetings on Ethics and Political Philosophy
May 2024 Exploitation and Alienation in Emotional Labour, Alienation workshop, University of Edinburgh
March 2024 Surrogacy and Relationships to Work, Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Strathclyde
Nov 2023 A Narrativist Account of Drudgery, Alienation Workshop, University of Edinburgh
Oct 2023 On Commodifying Women’s Reproductive Labour, Work in Progress Seminar, University of Edinburgh
Nov 2022 On Commodifying Women’s Reproductive Labour, Markets and Morality Conference, University of Toronto
June 2022 On Commodifying Women’s Reproductive Labour, University of Bucharest
Nov 2021 Kant and the Empirical Self, KCL First-Year Research Seminar
March 2020 Scientific Inquiry and Human Nature, POLIS London Undergraduate Conference
Oct 2019 Changing the Standards of Justification, KCL Philosophy Department retreat, Cumberland Lodge
2023 Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship, 3.5 years fees and stipend, approx. value £85,000
2021 Peter Goldie Award, King’s College London, £2000
2021 MPhil Stud Award, King’s College London, £5500
2020 MPhil Stud Award, King’s College London, £7500
2020 Jacobsen Scholarship, UCL, £3500 (Declined)
2020 KCL Student Union Volunteering Award, Gold Award
2019 KCL Student Union Silver Volunteering Award, Silver Award
2019 Commendation from Philosophy Department, King’s College London
2018 Commendation from Philosophy Department, King’s College London