Paul Giladi

Dr Paul Giladi is currently Reader in Philosophy in the School of History, Religions and Philosophies.

He started at SOAS on 4 September 2023. Before joining SOAS, Paul was at Manchester Met from 1 June 2018 until 1 September 2023, where he was the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Philosophy, the Departmental lead for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI), and the convenor of the History, Politics and Philosophy Critical Pedagogy Group. Paul co-founded in November 2021 the ‘Naturalism, Modernity, Civilization, and International Research Network’ – now jointly homed in SOAS, Padova University, and Potsdam University –, which he continues to co-direct.

Paul has published extensively on German Idealism, American Pragmatism, philosophical naturalism, critical social theory, critical social epistemology, and critical social ontology. He is one of the co-creators of the world’s first Decolonising Philosophy Curriculum Toolkit and Handbook. Paul was part of the Advisory Group that produced the 2025 QAA subject benchmark statement for Philosophy.

Areas of Specialisation:

Post-Kantian Philosophy (particularly Fichte and Hegel)
Critical Social Theories (particularly the Frankfurt School and decoloniality)
Critical Social Epistemologies
Metaphysics
Pragmatism
Areas of Competence:

Critical Philosophy of Race
Gender Studies
Philosophy of Education
Philosophy of the City
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Mind
Sexuality Studies

Paul’s approach to philosophy is unique: he combines perspectives from Hegel, pragmatism, critical social theories, intersectional feminism, and contemporary Anglo-American philosophy. His research crosses multiple philosophical traditions and conceptual schemes that have remained distinct.

One of the motivations in Paul’s research, which forms a positive feedback loop with his critical and relational pedagogic praxis, is to demonstrate how a heterogeneous conceptual framework, particularly one oriented to maximal inclusiveness of those voices rendered subaltern, can yield a more penetrative and more robust analysis of key questions in social philosophy, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind.