Q & A with Marion Boulicault
Welcome Marion Boulicault, who is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Interdisciplinary Research & Community at the GenderSci Lab.
GSL: Congratulations on your new faculty position at the University of Edinburgh! What are you most excited about?
Marion: Thank you so much! I’ve loved being in the Boston area for the last 8 years, but I’m looking forward to branching out and nurturing new scholarly connections and communities in Scotland. The University of Edinburgh is a great fit for me because it not only has a strong philosophy program but also an incredible (and storied) Science and Technology Studies (STS) program. I'm also very excited about teaching, especially working closely with graduate students. Finally, I'm looking forward to exploring Edinburgh and Scotland more generally – I can't wait to get out hiking in the Highlands and see some Highland cows.
GSL: Your background is in philosophy of measurement, feminist science studies, and the ethics of technology. How do these fields inform your work?
Marion: A historian of science once told me that good history makes the strange familiar and the familiar strange. I think this is true and that it holds true beyond the discipline of history. Indeed, I’ve found that moving between and across many different disciplines creates particular opportunities for transforming the 'strange' into the 'familiar' and back again. This is one of the reasons that I try to think about my central research interests about measurement and normativity from so many different disciplinary angles (and one of the reasons the Lab and its interdisciplinary practices have been so significant for my work).
GSL: You've been a longstanding member of the GenderSci Lab. How have your experiences here shaped your work?
Marion: In so many ways! We celebrated the Lab's 5th anniversary a few months ago and I had the chance to reflect on the ways in which the GenderSci Lab has shaped me as a scholar (and as a person more generally!). More than anything, the Lab community has had the biggest impact on me – having a group of committed, supportive scholars who care about the work they do and about each other has made my graduate studies so much more enriching, meaningful and joyful. I've also really appreciated the collaborative approach that the Lab takes to research and feel lucky to have had the chance to witness and take part in this firsthand.
GSL: What courses will you be focusing on at the University of Edinburgh?
Marion: I will mainly be teaching topics in feminist philosophy of science and technology, but will also teach some courses in philosophy of medicine, bioethics and philosophy of measurement. There's a new Center for Technomoral Change at the university (within the Edinburgh Futures Institute), and they are trialing really innovative project-based classes that I'm hoping to get involved with. I'm also lucky in that the University of Edinburgh has a huge philosophy faculty, which means there's an opportunity for faculty to really teach to their specialties.
SUGGESTED CITATION
Boulicault, M., (2024). “Q&A with Marion Boulicault.” GenderSci Lab Blog. genderscilab.org/blog/q-and-a-with-marion-boulicault
STATEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL LABOR
Kelsey Ichikawa and Sarah Richardson generated the questions, Marion Boulicault provided her responses and Atlas Sanogo assisted with copy-editing.