Directory

João J. Vila-Chã, SJ

Professor & Moderator

Pontifical Gregorian University (Roma)

mail j.vila-cha@unigre.it

Studied Philosophy and Theology in Portugal (1982–1987), Germany (1987–1991) and the United States (1991–1997). Concluded his PhD in Renaissance Philosophy at Boston College (USA) in 1998 with a thesis on Leone Ebreo and the Intelligibility of Love. At Boston College, taught in the Programs Philosophy of the Person (1992–1993) and Perspectives on Western Culture (1993–1996). From 1998–2008 taught History of Contemporary Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion at the Catholic University of Portugal (Braga) and since 2008 has been teaching Social and Political Philosophy at the Pontificia Università Gregoriana, in Rome (Italy). Was Editor-in-Chief of the Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia (2000–2009) and served as member of the Editorial Board of journals such as Concilium (2012–2019), Síntese (Brasil), and Pensamiento (Spain). Was President of the European Association of Jesuit Professors of Philosophy (2002–2008) and of the Conférence Mondiale des Institutions Catholiques Universitaires de Philosophie (COMIUCAP, 2013–2022). Since 2011, functions as Vice-President of the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy (U.S.A.) and as Director of the Post-Graduate International Seminar that the same Council offers yearly to chosen Scholars from different parts of the world. Member of the University Senate of the Pontifical Gregorian University between 2010–2018 and again since the Fall of 2024. In 2017, received the International Karl-Otto Apel Prize for Philosophy. During the World Congress of Philosophy in Beijing, China (2018), was elected Member of the Steering Committee of FISP – International Federation of Philosophical Societies; in Rome, during the XXV World Congress of Philosophy, was re-elected for another 5-year term (2024–).

Dian Nafiatul Awaliyah, ST, MKP

Architect, Researcher & Lecturer

Sultan Fatah University, Indonesia

mail dianhasfa@gmail.com

Profile: An architect, researcher, and lecturer at Sultan Fatah University, Indonesia. Her academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of architecture, cultural heritage, ecological resilience, and inclusive design. Her current research focuses particularly on how local cultural knowledge and symbolic heritage can inform adaptive and sustainable architectural practices in vulnerable coastal communities.

Research on Coastal Heritage: Her work explores the relationship between people, place, culture, and environment, with particular attention to the coastal context of Demak, Central Java. One current research direction investigates the bulus (softshell turtle) symbol associated with the Great Mosque of Demak as an ecological and cultural metaphor, developing an eco-cultural architectural framework that connects heritage interpretation, ecological memory, community participation, and adaptive coastal design in response to tidal flooding, land subsidence, and environmental degradation.

Neuroinclusive Architecture: A second major area of her research, developing architectural environments that recognize cognitive diversity while remaining grounded in local culture, ecological knowledge, and community identity, with an approach emphasizing clarity, calmness, predictability, sensory awareness, participation, and spatial justice.

Community Engagement: Also involved in community-based research, participatory workshops, visual ethnography, and interdisciplinary collaborations involving architecture, culture, ecology, and education, developing a research trajectory toward becoming a specialist in the history and contemporary transformation of Pantura (North Coast) Java architecture. Through both academic research and community engagement, she seeks to position architecture not merely as the production of buildings, but as a cultural and ecological practice capable of strengthening relationships between people, place, and future generations.

Maduabuchi Frank Dukor, PhD

Professor of Philosophy

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria

mail madudukor@yahoo.com

Profile: A distinguished voice among African philosophers of the 21st century, scholar, writer, editor, poet, and newspaper columnist, skilfully blending these diverse roles with intellectual rigor and artistic expression. PhD in Philosophy (University of Nigeria, Nsukka), MPhil (University of Lagos), BA (University of Ibadan), and PGD in Journalism (Lagos).

Academic Appointments: Head, Department of Philosophy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (2019–2022); Director/Chairman of the Board, Pre-Science Programme (2012–2014) and Chairman, University Time-table Committee (2012–2014), Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Founding Head, Department of Philosophy, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos (1989–1992). Visiting Scholar, Department of Philosophy, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra (1999–2003); Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State (2010–2015); Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Delta State University, and Niger Delta University (2015).

Selected Publications: African Discourse: Humanities, Literature and Public Sphere (2nd ed., 2023); Being and Existence: Anthropocentric Metaphysics and Poetry (2nd ed., 2023); Theistic Humanism of African Philosophy (2021); African Freedom, the Freedom of Philosophy (2021); African Philosophy in the Global Village (2021); Symbolic and Philosophical Logic (2018). Editor, Dictionary of African Philosophy (London Academic Publishing, 2026) and Philosophy and Politics: Discourse on Values and Power in Africa (Malthouse Press, 2004). Author of forty-six chapters in anthologies and eight journal articles, including in Philosophia (Springer, Netherlands), Philosophy Study (USA), and Indian Philosophical Quarterly.

Editorial & Media Roles: Founder, President, and Editor-in-Chief, ESSENCE LIBRARY (Cultural and Scientific Development Center), registered with UNESCO's National Commission (NATCOM). Editor-in-Chief, ESSENCE: Interdisciplinary International Journal of Concerned African Philosophers, overseeing 21 issues from 1996 to 2026. Member, Strategic Communication Committee, Governor's Office, Anambra State (2023–present); editorial board member, Guardian Newspapers (2016–2018) and Champion Newspapers (1997–1998); Visiting Poet, Post Express, Lagos (2001–2003). Columnist and writer for the Guardian and Sun newspapers, with over three hundred published opinion articles.

Academic Leadership & Recognition: Supervised thirty PhD candidates and examined fifty-two PhD theses at other universities, including institutions in South Africa. Completed thirty-three professorial assessments; served as member or chairman of fourteen accreditation teams across twenty universities and institutions; member of the editorial boards of over fifteen international and national journals. Subject of a special issue of the Open Journal of Philosophy (OJPP, USA, 2013) devoted to his contributions to African philosophy, and of a 2025 doctoral thesis at Nnamdi Azikiwe University comparing his Theistic Humanism to the existential philosophy of Achille Mbembe. In 2026, BROLLY (London) featured his photograph on its front page to announce and celebrate the publication of the Dictionary of African Philosophy.

Lidia Godek-Ostrouch, PhD

Assistant Professor of Philosophy

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań

mail lidia.godek@amu.edu.pl

Profile: Political philosopher specialising in the aesthetics of politics, democratic theory and Weberian political thought. Research interests include democratic experience, political perception, the public sphere, academic freedom, and the relationship between science, values and politics.

Academic Appointment & Education: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Philosophy and Social Communication, Faculty of Philosophy, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (since 2011). PhD in Philosophy, cum laude, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (2011); MA in Philosophy, interfaculty programme in Philosophy and Political Science (2005).

International Research Experience: Erasmus Research Stay, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2020); W. Bednarowski Trust Fellowship, University of Aberdeen (2018); research stay, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2017–2018); academic training, University of Hildesheim (2004).

Selected Publications: Academic Freedom as a Profession and a Vocation (Poznań Society of Friends of Learning Press, 2022); Max Weber’s Philosophy of Stateness (2013). “On Two Types of Democratization: Poland and Czechoslovakia” (Brill/Rodopi, 2022); “Max Weber’s Value-Judgment and the Problem of Science Policy-making” (Routledge, 2021); “Discursive Construction of Art as a Subject of Politics” (Routledge, 2017); “On Deformational Modelling: Max Weber’s Concept of Idealization” (Brill/Rodopi, 2016).

Leadership, Service & Recognition: Member of the University Scientific Council, Discipline Council and Academic Staff Assessment Committee at AMU. Coordinator of the Polish group in the international project University of the Future II (2020–2021); organiser of conferences and symposiums on democracy, science and the public sphere; journal peer reviewer and supervisor at doctoral, MA and BA levels. Rector’s Awards for scientific achievements (2024, 2021), team achievement (2024, 2023), and teaching achievements (2020, 2016).

Franklin Ibáñez, PhD

Doctor

Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Lima, Peru)

mail fibanezb@unmsm.edu.pe

Profile: PhD in Philosophy, Pontificia Università Gregoriana (Rome, Italy); MA in Philosophy, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Professor at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP).

Postdoctoral Work & Recognition: Completed a postdoctoral fellowship at CSIC, Spain. Recipient of the Ethics Research Award from the Pontifical Gregorian University (2014) and the Postgraduate Research Award from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (2009), in addition to other accolades for research, teaching, and university social responsibility.

Research Interests: General and applied ethics; social and political philosophy.

Sivakaran Navaratnam

Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in Philosophy

School of Social, Political and Global Studies, Keele University, United Kingdom

mail s.navaratnam@keele.ac.uk

Academic Qualifications: PhD in Philosophy (Candidate), Keele University, United Kingdom (2024–2028); Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Open University of Sri Lanka (2014–2020); MPhil in Philosophy, University of Jaffna (2012–2015), thesis on the nature and main trends of contemporary analytic philosophy with special reference to G. E. Moore, Russell, and Wittgenstein; MA in Philosophy, University of Peradeniya (2008–2010), thesis on the phenomenon of suicide and the meaning of human life; BA in Philosophy, Second Class Upper Division, University of Jaffna (2001–2006), dissertation on the role of Ahimsa in Gandhian politics.

Academic Appointments: Senior Lecturer (Grade II), Department of Philosophy, University of Jaffna (2016–2023); Lecturer (Probationary) (2010–2016) and Assistant Lecturer (2010), Department of Philosophy, University of Jaffna.

Academic Leadership & Professional Service: Head, Department of Philosophy, University of Jaffna (2021–2022); Deputy Proctor, University of Jaffna (2020–2022); Coordinator, Wellbeing Centre, University of Jaffna (2018–2023); President, Ceylon Gandhi Seva Society (2016–present).

Publications: Sarvananthan, M., & Navaratnam, S. (2020). “The Imperative for Justiciability of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Post-Civil War Sri Lanka.” The Journal of Law, Social Justice & Global Development, 25, 46–59. Navaratnam, S. (2016). “A Critical Study on Bertrand Russell's Criticisms on Ordinary Language and Creation of Ideal Language.” Sri Lanka Journal of South Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Jaffna.

Selected Conference Presentations: Presenter of six papers at international conferences in 2018, addressing topics including the preservation of biodiversity in Sri Lanka, peace and governance in Sri Lanka's democratic constitution, the moral status of animals in the religious philosophy of Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, the role of the veil of ignorance in Rawlsian justice, moral values in early childhood education, and the right to information in efficient good governance.

Research Interests: Ethics and applied ethics; political philosophy; philosophy of law; human rights; conflict and peace; environmental philosophy; analytic philosophy; critical thinking.

Nubong Henri Ndifor, PhD

Independent Researcher

University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon

mail ndiforhenri@yahoo.com

Profile: Earned his PhD in Ontology and Metaphysics at the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon (July 2024), with a thesis titled “The Crisis of Humanity in the Global Society: An Approach from the Levinasian Notion of Responsibility for the Other,” exploring the vertical breakdown of trust between humanity and the Creator as the root of contemporary crises. Currently an independent researcher and author of several articles. Research interests: metaphysics, the intersection of philosophy and science, philosophy of mind, the meaning of life, phenomenology, history of philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of medical ethics and management.

Education: PhD, Philosophy (Ontology & Metaphysics), University of Yaoundé I (2024); MA, Philosophy, UCAC – Catholic University of Central Africa, Catholic Institute of Yaoundé (2020); BA, Philosophy, University of Yaoundé I (2016).

Teaching Experience: Metaphysical Discourses in Africa, Philosophy of Religion, History of Western Philosophy, African Philosophy, and Philosophical Problems — Ladybird High School Yaoundé and Complexe Scolaire Adventist Odza (2022–present). Philosophy — Complexe Scolaire François Elvire Mbalngong (2021–2023) and Chanceliere Mballa II Emana (2016–2022).

Academic Engagements & Memberships: Associate Member, Council for Research in Values and Philosophy (RVP), Washington Seminar (August–September 2026); talk: “Fragile Universals: Rationality, Affect, and the Structure of Solidarity in Post-African Traditional Societies.” Member, SAFI (Societas Aperta Feminarum in Iuris Theoria), Italy (2025–present); Member and Assistant General Executive, African Society for Metaphysics and Morals (ASM-SAM) (2023–present). Marker, Special Concours and Direct Recruitment into Police Commissioner, National Superior School of Police, Yaoundé (May 2025). Participant, International Workshop on Theorizing Gender Inequality: Renaissance and Early Modern Perspectives, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (May 2026).

Indukuri John Mohan Razu, PhD

Theologian & Social Ethicist

Bangalore, India

mail ijmrazu@yahoo.co.in

Profile: After completing graduate and legal studies, began working with the Dalits (Untouchables) as a social activist in the awareness-raising pedagogic process in the villages of Tamil Nadu; over seven years this grew into a movement of landless agricultural labourers, primarily comprising Dalits. Subsequently pursued bachelor's and post-graduate studies in theology at the United Theological College, Bangalore, specialising in Christian Ethics.

Doctoral Studies & Early Career: Prior to doctoral studies, worked in the urban setting of Bombay for over seven years, then pursued a PhD at Silliman University, Philippines, with a thesis on the impact of transnational corporations on development in India and the Philippines, a comparative study. After securing the doctorate, joined the United Theological College, Bangalore, as Dean of Field Education, combined with teaching in Christian Social Ethics, Church & Society, and Contextual Theologies.

Academic Career: Research Fellow at Princeton Divinity School and the University of Birmingham. Taught at Clarke Theological College, Nagaland, and at ACTS Academy of Higher Education, both for post-graduate students. Served as Coordinator of Field Research for the Indian Social Institute (ISI), a Jesuit institution in Bangalore. Participated and presented papers at numerous academic conferences and colloquiums, nationally and internationally, and has published a number of books and articles across diverse areas.

Current Role: Serves as a consultant for Omega Publishers, Bangalore, coordinating work on the Dalit, Indigenous, and Migrant (DAL-I-M) Bible Commentary.

Dr. N. Ravi Vincent

Assistant Professor / Author

Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India

mail ravivincentenglish@gmail.com

Profile: Assistant Professor, Department of English, Andhra University (2007–present), where he has also served as Coordinator of the American Corner (2022–2024). PhD in English Literature, Andhra University (2021), thesis on Historicism and Realism in the works of Chaman Nahal; MA in English, Andhra University (2003). Holds additional master's-level qualifications in Education, Philosophy, History, Mass Communication, Psychology, Politics, and Linguistics, and is currently pursuing a further PhD in Philosophy at Andhra University.

Selected Publications: Author of seven books, including Thousand One Word Substitutes (2021); Basic English Grammar (bilingual English & Telugu, 2021); Icicles of Insight (2023); Gleanings of Gazing (2023); and Shackles of Shadow (2024). His poetry has itself been the subject of several published articles by scholars at Andhra University.

Research & Scholarly Activity: Has presented papers at numerous national and international seminars, including the RVP International Conference on “Being Human in Multicultural Traditions.” Author of articles on Indian English literature, diaspora studies, and comparative literary traditions; has guided numerous MA dissertations on topics spanning British, American, African, and Indian English literature.

RVP Seminar Contribution: Presenting on “Unfolding the Unshakable Foundation for Spiritual and Social Life: Early, Medieval and Modern Theologians,” drawing on Tertullian, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Tolstoy, and Bonhoeffer to examine the foundations of self, solidarity, and civility in spiritual and social life.

Xin Zhao

Doctoral Candidate (PhD) in Philosophy

School of Philosophy, Wuhan University, China

mail 596122365@qq.com

Profile: PhD candidate in Ethics, Wuhan University (2022–present). Dissertation: “Defending Virtues: Three Approaches to the Situationist Challenge” (in progress).

Publications: “Kun Way-making and Positive Absence: Confucian Thinking on Feminine Gender Interpretation,” Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy (2024); “The Concept of Equality in Comparative Political Philosophy — A Criticism of Sungmoon Kim's Arguments on Equality,” with Li Yong (2025).

Activities: Commentator, Workshop on Comparative Political Philosophy, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (April 2026); Presenter, 25th World Congress of Philosophy, “Housework, Patriarchy, and Ideology Critique” (August 2024); Participant, RVP seminar “Rethinking the Human Condition in the Age of the Anthropocene” (2025); Summer School Assistant, Wuhan University (2023–2026).

Research Interests: Virtue ethics; moral psychology; comparative political philosophy; Confucian philosophy; philosophy of education.