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 thesis examines the ethics and politics of traditionally feminine-coded labour practices—caregiving, reproductive labour, and emotional labour—under contemporary economic and social conditions. Many feminists have already embarked on projects seeking to reaffirm the moral and political significance of these traditionally under-valued forms of labour. Over and above this, I intend to assess the distorting qualities that economic and social conditions (like commodification and pernicious gender ideologies) have on these forms of labour. More specifically, a thread that runs through the thesis concerns the sense of agency granted to those (women) that practice these forms of labour under existing social and economic conditions which can inhibit these labour practices being fulfilling and free expressions of the agents. In drawing on concepts like alienation, commodification, self-abnegation and exploitation, I aim to demonstrate some of the ways the conditions under which the labours are practiced can deny these activities from being realisations of agential self-expression. I intend the positive parts of my thesis to offer some narrative about how we might govern these practices so as to alleviate concerns about alienation and the reproduction of gendered inequalities.
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
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