ACEPS Talks, Visits, Fellowships & Publications

Team’s Talks, Visits, Fellowships & Publications 2025

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• 22-24 Jan 2025: (Talks) Philosophical Society of Southern Africa Conference (PSSA) held at Stonehenge in Africa situated in the Vredefort Dome, given by ACEPS members: Dimpho Maponya (Keynote), Paige Benton, Shené de Rijk, Harry Kapatika, Nomaswazi Kubeka, Gontse Lebakeng, M Lombaard, Dimpho Moletsane, Veli Mitova and ACEPS RA visitors: Amandine Catala  and Sarah Wright
• 28-30 Jan 2025: Benton, P. (Invited Talk & Part of the Organizing Committee) for The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research The CIFAR Women in Research Leadership Development Symposium @ Kigali Rwanda
• 5 Mar 2025: De Rijk, S. (Invited Talk) UKZN–UNIZULU Philosophy Seminar Series: “The Epistemological Dimension of Toxic Positivity”@ UKZN–UNIZULU Online
• 6 Mar 2025: Mitova, V. (Invited Talk) WITS Philosophy Symposium: “Hermeneutical Reparations and the Right to be Known” @ WITS 3-5pm SAST
• 28 Mar 2025: ACEPS PGs and PDRFs WIP Workshop @ ACEPS-UJ
• Apr-Jun 2025: ACEPS PGs and PDRFs Term 2 Writing Retreats and WIPs @ ACEPS-UJ
• 30 Mar–4 Apr 2025: Kapatika, H. British Academy Writers Workshop @ Uni of Malawi
• 8 Apr 2025: Benton, P.  (Invited Roundtable Discussion) Data Commons: Creating Inclusive Data Capital and Enabling Fair Access by United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET) and the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) @ Uni Pretoria
• 24 Apr 2025: Maponya D. (Invited Talk) Wits Philosophy Research Seminar: Feminism and Race Loyalty: Conflicting Normative Interests in South Africa @ hybrid Wits
• 30 Apr 2025: Kubeka, N. (Invited Talk) Discursive Linguistic Injustice and Epistemic Reparations as part of UKZN–UNIZULU Philosophy Seminar Series @ UKZN–UNIZULU Online
• 15-16 May 2025: Kubeka, N. and Mitova, V. (Invited Talks) Conference on Intersection of Linguistic Justice and Epistemic Injustice: A decolonial perspective @ Tilburg Uni
• 22 May 2025: Mitova, V. (Invited Talk) Graduate Symposium: Lessons on decolonising the curriculum @ Uni Vienna
• 26..30 May 2025: Mitova, V. (Invited Visit) Collaboration visit to Department of Philosophy at Sophia University funded by Erasmus+ mobility grant @ Uni Sofia
• 6 Jun 2025: Mitova, V (Talk) Hermeneutical relationships at the 2025 Bled Philosophical Conference @ Bled
• 13 Jun 2025: Benton, P.  (Invited Talk) Workshop on the Philosophy of Deep Learning @ Jülich-Eindhoven Online
• 18 Jun 2025: Benton, P.  (Invited Discussion) Towards Just, Equitable Data and AI Governance in Africa A Side Event ahead of the T20 Mid-Term Conference. Convened by Research ICT Africa in partnership with AI4D Africa Network and D4D Network @ Raddison RED Hotel, Johannesburg
• 18 Jun 2025: ACEPS PGs and PDRFs WIP Workshop @ ACEPS-UJ
• 27-28 Jun 2025: (Talks) 3rd SA Postgraduate Philosophy Symposium hosted by the North-West University (NWU) given by ACEPS members: Shené de Rijk, Harry Kapatika, Nomaswazi Kubeka, M Lombaard, and Dimpho Moletsane  plus UJ Philosophy Postgraduates @ Potchefstroom campus
• 24-26 Jun 2025: Mitova, V (Invitee)  Episteme Writing Workshop funded by Cambridge University Press and Northwestern University @ Skukuza Kruger Gate Hotel
• 3-5 Sep 2025: De Rijk, S. (Talk) Toxic Positivity and Affective Injustice at the MANCEPT Affective Injustice Workshop @ Manchester Uni

Celebrations 2025

• Jan 2025 – Apr 2025: Congrats to Harry Kapatika, ACEPS PhD: Continuation of the “Writing Religion and Social Transformation in Africa: Publishing and Mentoring Workshop for Early Career Arts, Humanities and Social Science Researchers” award. Hosted by Malawi British Academy, University of Malawi & the University of Edinburgh.
• 24 Jan 2025: Congrats to Prof Veli Mitova, ACEPS Director,  recipient of the 2025 Erasmus+ staff mobility 9 day visit to Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in late May 2025.
• Jan-Apr 2025: Congrats to Dr Paige Benton, ACEPS PDRF, selected to attend the Center for AI and Digital Policy’s Spring Clinic, Washington.
• 10 Feb 2025: Congrats to Nomaswazi Kubeka, PhD candidate at ACEPS, recipient of the Globalink Research Award, for the project ‘Theorizing Indigenous Group Silencing: Canadian and South African Perspectives’. Her three-month fully funded research visit to McGill University, Canada will take place from September to November 2025.

Team’s Publications in 2025

• Benton, P. (2025) Democratic AI: Justification for a Broad View of Public Reason. Communications in Computer and Information Science.
• Benton, P. (2025) The Commodification of Attention, Distrust & Resentment: a Threat to (Rawlsian) Justice. Technology and Regulation. https://doi.org/10.71265/k6r46952
• de Rijk, S. (2025) Toxic Positivity and Epistemic Injustice. Episteme. https://doi.org/10.1017/epi.2025.7
• Mitova, V. (Forth.) Oppressive Epistemic Dilemmas. In Schmidt, E. and Grajner, M. (Eds.) Epistemic Dilemmas and Epistemic Normativity. Routledge.
• Mitova, V. (2025) Motivated Irrationality, Epistemic Innocence, White Ignorance. Philosophical Topics, 51 (2): 93-112.
• Mitova, V. (2025) Decolonial Epistemic-Authority Reparations. Episteme. DOI: 10.1017/epi.2025.2.
• Mitova, V. (2025) De-idealising Epistemology through Collectivising. International Journal of Philosophical Studies. DOI: 10.1080/09672559.2025.2482906
• Mitova, V., Bortolus, A. et al. (2025) Knowledge Brokers at the Science–Policy Interface: Insights from Biosecurity and Environmental Management. Ambio. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02208-7.

Talks, Visits and Fellowships in 2024

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• Jan 2024: ACEPS Postgrads Term 1 research and reading group schedule @ ACEPS-UJ
• 16 Jan 2024: Benton, P. (Talk). The CAIR AI 4 Society Symposium Series @ Uni Stellenbosch
• 17-19 Jan 2024: (Talks) Philosophical Society of Southern Africa Conference (PSSA) by ACEPS members: Paige Benton, Shené de Rijk, Nomaswazi Kubeka, Gontse Lebakeng, Dimpho Moletsane, Dimpho Maponya, Abe Tobi  and Veli Mitova and ACEPS RA visitors: Amandine Catala, Gaile Pohlhaus (keynote) and Sarah Wright @ Uni Stellenbosch.
• 13-14 Feb 2024: Mitova, V. (Invite) “Decolonial Epistemic-Authority Reparations” as part of Thinking from Everywhen: Philosophy, Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives workshop funded by RSSS Research @ ANU
• 23-25 Feb 2024: Kapatika H. (Visit) NIHSS funded IKS Research trip to Ncwala Ceremony @ Eastern Province of Zambia in Chipata
• 29 Feb 2024: Mitova, V. (Invite)  “Social group moral encroachment” talk as part of ANU Philosophy’s Thursday Seminar Series followed by post-talk Q&A with graduate students @ ANU
• 2 Mar 2024: Ogbonnaya, U. (Invite) “Her-Storicity and Conceptual Mandelisation”: A Roundtable in Honour of Prof. Mesembe I. Edet @ online Uni Calabar.
• 11-18 Mar 2024: Kapatika H. (Visit) NIHSS funded IKS Research Trip to Tanzania, Dar es Salaam @ UDSM
• 14 Mar 2024: Postgraduate seminar on V. Mitova’s forthcoming paper: “Decolonising Experts” as part of Postgraduate Philosophy’s Seminar Series @ Uni Melbourne.
• Apr 2024: ACEPS Postgrads Term 2 research and reading group schedule @ ACEPS-UJ
• 5 Apr 2024: ACEPS PGs and PDRFs WIP Workshop @ ACEPS-UJ
• 15 Apr 2024: Postgraduate seminar on V. Mitova’s: “Decolonial Epistemic Authority Reparations” with the African Philosophy Reading Group @ online ACEPS-Zurich Uni.
• 05 May 2024: Congrats to ACEPS postdoc Dr Paige Benton, awarded R150,000 as part of  GES Workshop Series Seminars: “The Political Epistemology of 4IR Data, Democracy and Discourse: Unpacking 4IR’s Political and Epistemic Impact”
• 15 May 2024: Seminar on V. Mitova’s: “Social Group Moral Encroachment” with the Social Epistemology Group in Seville (GRESS) @ online Seville Uni.
• 12 – 13 Jun 2024: Moletsane, D. (Talk & Panel Discussion). “Tethered in Bones: Racial Categories in Forensic Anthropology” as part of the 4th CIRCoRe RHCS Workstream on the Controversies in the use of race and other human categorisations in the South African higher education sector @ Uni Stellenbosch
• 14 Jun 2024: ACEPS PGs and PDRFs WIP Workshop @ ACEPS-UJ
• 26-27 Jun 2024: Benton, P. (Talk) “AI and Democracy: Justification of a Broad View of Public Reason” , 2024 Africa Just AI Conference themed “Building a Just AI Ecosystem in Africa” @ Research ICT Africa, Cape Town
• July 2024: ACEPS Postgrads Term 3 research and reading group schedule @ ACEPS-UJ
• 2-14 July 2024: Singh, A. (Visit) As part of Philosophy through Indigenous Knowledge in the Global South project funded by National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) @ Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
• 2 July 2024: Mitova, V. (Talk) “Epistemic Decolonisation and epistemic in/justice” as part of Decolonising Systems of Knowledge Symposium for PhD candidates hybrid @ CSDA-UJ
• 4 July 2024: Mitova, V. (Talk) “Why epistemic decolonisation in Africa?” as part of Philosophy Lecture Series National Open University of Nigeria hybrid @ NOUN
• 8-10 July 2024: Benton, P. (Talk) “AI Knowledge-making Powers: A Threat to Rawlsian Justice” at TILTing Perspectives Conference 2024 “Looking back, moving forward: Re-assessing technology regulation in digitalized worlds” @ Tilburg Uni.
• 10 July 2024: Singh, A. (Talk) Normative Personhood: African and Indian Perspectives @ Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) New Delhi
• 11-12 July 2024: Lebakeng, G. (Talk) at Feminist Philosophy Conference @ University of KwaZulu-Natal.
• 14 Aug 2024: Kapatika,H.W. (Talk) “Why Epistemicide Matters: The Historical Problem of Knowledge in Africa in the 21st Century” as part of UKZN–UNIZULU Philosophy Seminar Series 14h00–15h30 @ online Teams link
• 15-16 Aug 2024: Kubeka,N.Z. (Invite) Reassessing linguistic continuity in the Black Archive @ Black Archive Symposium – Second Meeting.
• 10-12 Sep 2024: Mitova, V. (Keynote) The impossibility of structural epistemic reparations @ Epistemic Blame and Epistemic Reparations 2nd Workshop  part of Epistemic Reparations Project funded by Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs @ Winnipeg — U of Brandon
• 10-12 Sep 2024: de Rijk, S. (Invite) Toxic Positivity, the Right to Be Known, and Epistemic Reparations @ Epistemic Blame and Epistemic Reparations 2nd Workshop  part of Epistemic Reparations Project funded by Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs @ Winnipeg — U of Brandon
• 17-19 Sep 2024: Benton, P. (Talk) at Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology 2024  @ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
• 20 Sep 2024: Benton, P. (Participate) at Normative Energy Ethics Workshop @ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
• 25 Nov 2024: Kubeka, N.Z.(Invite) Linguistic Justice as an Epistemic reparation @ Linguistic Justice Society.

Celebrations 2024

• Jan 2024: Tobi, A. (PostDoc Fellowship) ACEPS PhD graduate awarded a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship for his project “Marginal Epistemic Injustice” at Canada Research Chair on Epistemic Injustice and Agency (C1RC-IAE) and the Centre for Research in Ethics (CRE) @ Uni Quebec-Montreal.
• 2 Jan 2024: ACEPS welcomes 4 new Postdoctoral Research Fellows – Drs: Paige Benton, Garikai Madavo, Paul Michael, Uchenna Ogbonnaya
• 5 Feb 2024: Congrats to Dr Paige Benton, ACEPS PDRF,  recipient of the 2024 GES 4.0 Fellowship!
• 9 Feb 2024: Mitova, V. (Visiting Fellowship) 6 week RSSS Fellowship @ ANU
• 5 Mar 2024: Rybko, C. Currently completing her PhD appointed a temporary lecturer at Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics @ Uni Witwatersrand.
• 3 Apr 2024: UJ Graduation for ACEPS 3 newest PhDs (l-r): Dr Abraham Tejiri Tobi, their supervisor Prof Veli Mitova, Dr  Dimpho Takane Maponya and Dr Akanimo Andrew Akpan
• 05 May 2024: Congrats to ACEPS postdoc Dr Paige Benton, awarded R150,000 as part of  GES Workshop Series Seminars: “The Political Epistemology of 4IR Data, Democracy and Discourse: Unpacking 4IR’s Political and Epistemic Impact”

Publications in 2024

• Chukwu, E., Mitova, V., et al. (2024) Evidence-based Policy Making in the Face of Uncertainty. BMJ Public Health.doi:10.1136/ bmjph-2023-000694
• De Rijk, S. (2024) Euthanasia in Human Beings vs. Companion Animals. South African Journal of Philosophy, 43:1, 57-69
• Grossman, I., Mitova, V., et al. (2024) Dimensions of Wisdom Perception Across Five Continents. Nature Communications.
• Heseen, R. et al., Mitova, V. (2024) A Model of Faulty and Faultless Disagreement for Post-Hoc Assessments of Knowledge Utilization in Evidence-Based Policymaking. Scientific Reports.
• Lebakeng, G. (2024) The Power-Corruption Link in Politics: A Philosophical Analysis. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, 17 (11), 195-206.
• Machery, E. et al., Mitova, V. (2024) A Puzzle About Knowledge Ascriptions. Noûs.
• Michael, P. (2024) The Epistemically Excluded Young in Menkiti’s Afro-Personhood. Africa Today, 71(2): 51-67
• Mitova, V. (2024) Social Group Moral Encroachment. Episteme, 20(4): 894-911.
• Mitova, V. (2024) Decolonising Experts. In Farina, M., Lavazza, A. and Pritchard, D. (Eds.) Expertise: Philosophical Perspectives (pp. 253–273). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Mitova, V. (2024) Can theorising epistemic injustice help us decolonise? Inquiry.
• Mitova, V. (2024) Wilful Hermeneutical Injustice to the (Qualified) Rescue of Knowledge-first. In Logins, A. and Vollet, J. (Eds.) Putting Knowledge to Work. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Rudnev, M., Mitova, V. (2024) What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ – but not as much as you’d think. The Conversation Africa from the Templeton funded The Geography of Philosophy
• Schneider, M. et al., Mitova, V. (2024) Science-Policy Research Collaborations Need Philosophers. Nature Human Behaviour.

Talks, Visits and Fellowships in 2023

• 16-18 Jan 2023: (Talks) Philosophical Society of Southern Africa Conference (PSSA) by ACEPS members: Andrew Akpan, Shené de Rijk, Chad Harris, Gontse Lebakeng, Dimpho Maponya, Veli Mitova, Ben Smart and Abe Tobi @ Uni Johannesburg.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 25 Jan 2023: Decolonizing Epistemic Injustice and Implicit Bias Conference “Can Theorising Epistemic Injustice Help Us Decolonise” @ Arctic Uni, Norway.
• Mitova, V. (Visit) 20-24 Feb 2023: Collaboration with Constructing Social Hierarchy project @ Melbourne Uni.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 20 Feb 2023: “Decolonising Experts” for Constructing Social Hiearchy  Workshop @ Melbourne Uni.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 21 Feb 2023: Forum on “Decolonizing the philosophy curriculum — experiences from South Africa” @ Melbourne Uni.
• Mitova, V. (Written response) 23 Feb 2023: Cluster-Initiative “Ethics for Sciences”: Advisory Board Workshop @ Uni Göttingen.
• Maponya, D. (Interview) 26 Feb 2023: On PowerFM Interest: Analysis on Prof Phakeng’s sudden early retirement.
• 1 March 2023: Lebakeng, G. Appointed as an nGAP Lecturer @ University of Zululand
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 3 Mar 2023: “Decolonising Experts” for online talk series on underrepresented groups in philosophy and academia run by Canada Research Chair on Epistemic Injustice and Agency @ Uni of Quebec at Montreal.
• 9 Mar 2023: (Talks) Epistemic Injustice and Epistemic Decolonisation Workshop co-organised with “Reversing the Gaze” project PIs from Uni Basel by ACEPS members: Andrew Akpan, Dimpho Maponya, Veli Mitova, and Abe Tobi @ Uni Johannesburg.
• Tobi, A. (Invite) 15 Mar 2023: “Epistemic Responsibility in Epistemically Toxic Environments” @ Uni Cape Town.
• 26-30 Mar 2023: Notions of Epistemic Justice and Injustice: exploration and application in AI & Data Justice governance – collaboration visit by Epistemology of the 4th Industrial Revolution ACEPS Project to The Global Data Justice TILT Project  (live Uni Tilburg)
• 30 Mar 2023: (Talks) TILT Seminar Epistemic Injustice and Datatech: insights from the Epistemology of the 4th Industrial Revolution Project — ACEPS 4IR team of Veli Mitova, Akanimo Akpan, Caitlin Rybko and Abraham Tobi @ Uni Tilburg.
• Mitova, V. (Master Class) 30 Mar 2023: Decolonising Experts @ Uni Tilburg.
• Rybko, C. (Invite) 5 Apr 2023: Respondent to “A Frame for Structural Epistemology” by Ezgi Sertler at the Pacific APA  in San Francisco.
• Mitova, V. (Visiting Fellowship) 1 May 2023: A 2 month Fellowship with the 2023 ZiF Project “The epistemology of evidence-based policy: How philosophy can facilitate the science-policy interface” @ Uni Bielefeld.
• Maponya, D. (Invite) 5 May 2023: “African Feminism” UJ-Redlands Symposium @ UJ.
• Mitova, V. (Participant) 11-12 May 2023: “ZiF Research Group Workshop II Biases in acquisition and consideration of evidence, including questions of the incentives for and rationality of biases“ @ Uni Bielefeld.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 23 May 2023: “ZiF Research Group All Fellows Meeting: Epistemic Injustice and Evidence Based Policy” @ Uni Bielefeld.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 31 May 2023: “Group Moral Encroachment” Cologne Center for Contemporary Epistemology and the Kantian Tradition @ Uni Cologne.
• Tobi, A. (Invite) 1-2 Jun 2023: “The Social Epistemology of Social Media” workshop @ TU Berlin.
• Meylan, A., Mitova, V., Schmidt, S. (Talk) 3 Jun 2023: “Conspiracy Theories and Marginalization_ A New Argument for Particularism”  2nd International Conference on the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theory @ VU Amsterdam.
• Mitova, V., Schwenkenbecher, A. (Invite) 15 Jun 2023 “Ethics in Evidence Based Policy” Practical Philosophy Seminar @ Uni Bielefeld
• Mitova, V., Schwenkenbecher, A. (Invite) 29 Jun 2023 “How Evidence-Based Policy has to mean Ethics-Based Policy” ZIF Workshop III @ Uni Bielefeld
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 11-12 Jul 2023: “Social Group Moral Encroachment” Episteme Annual Conference Zanzibar.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 14-15 Jul 2023: “Epistemic Authority Reparations” Episteme Writing Workshop Zanzibar.
• Maponya, D. (Doctorate & Tenure) 14 Sep 2023: Congrats to ACEPS doctoral candidate, Dimpho Takane Maponya.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 15-16 Sep 2023: Epistemic Blame and Epistemic Reparations Workshop  part of Epistemic Reparations Project funded by Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs @ Quamajuc Museum, Winnipeg @ Uni Brandon
• Kapatika, H. (Talk) 27 Oct 2023: “Epistemicide and the Paradox of Restituting African Tangible and Intangible Heritages” at the 5th Biennial Conference of the African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA), Lubumbashi.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 6 Nov 2023: “Social Group Moral Encroachment“ at Collective Ethics seminar @ Vienna Uni.
• Mitova, V. (Visit) Nov 2023: 2 week visit as part of Philosophy through Indigenous Knowledge in the Global South project funded by National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) @ Goa Uni & Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 21 Nov 2023: Reparations-Decolonisations-Just Transitions @ IIT Delhi.
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 23 Nov 2023: Decolonial Epistemic Authority – Reparations @ Goa Uni.
• Mitova, V. (Award) 30 Nov 2023: Dean’s Award for Outstanding Academic Citizenship
• Mitova, V. (Invite) 14-16 Dec 2023: Forum on outcome of the 2023 ZiF Project “The epistemology of evidence-based policy: How philosophy can facilitate the science-policy interface” @ Uni Bielefeld.

Publications in 2023

• Mitova, V. (2023) A New Argument for the Non-Instrumental Value of Truth. Erkenntnis, 88(5): 1911-1933.
• Mitova, V. (2023) Why Epistemic Decolonisation in Africa? Social Epistemology, 37(6): 739-752.
• Mitova, V. (2023) Socialising epistemic risk: on the risks of epistemic injustice. Metaphilosophy, 54(4): 539–552.
• Mitova, V. (Forthcoming) Motivated Irrationality, Epistemic Innocence, White Ignorance. Philosophical Topics.
• Serote, M. (2023) Mme Ruth Mompati: A Life of Courage and Service. Johannesburg: Seriti sa Sechaba Publishers.
• Tobi, A. (2023) Intra-Group Epistemic Injustice. Social Epistemology, 37(6): 798-809.
• Tobi, A. (2023) Epistemic injustice and colonisation. South African Journal of Philosophy, 41(4): 337-346.