PhD Title

The limits of multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is back into the spotlight. There are academic and political voices that claim it is a failed project, while others affirm multicultural policies have shown themselves positive for western democracies. Nevertheless, there are more fundamental issues that have to be addressed and the opportunity to set the ground for a non-substantialist multiculturalism, that is, a multiculturalism that can truly embrace otherness. I want to demonstrate that any supposed incommensurability between communities is based on the idea of modern progress, specially measured by economic criteria; the implicit assumption of history as a teleological process and a substantialist idea of individual and social identity.

Supervisors

Dr Stephen Kemp

Dr Mary Holmes

Qualifications

• 2014    MA Philosophy (Hons), National Autonomous University of Mexico.
• 2011    BA Philosophy,  National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Awards

• 2018                 PhD Conference and Field Work Fund, University of Edinburgh
• 2015                 PhD Conference and Field Work Fund, University of Edinburgh
• 2015 -2019    Abroad Postgraduate Studies, The Mexican National Council for Science and Techonology. 
• 2012                 Visiting Research Scholarship for the University of Barcelona, The Mexican National Council for Science and Technology.  
• 2011-2013     National Program of High Quality Postgraduate Studies, The Mexican National Council for Science and Technology.

Book Reviews

• Alvarado, M. (2016). “Andrea M. Voyer Strangers and Neighbors: Multiculturalism, Conflict and Community in America”, in Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, 16(1), 176-178.
• Alvarado, M. (2015). “El problema del Ser: sus aporías en la obra de Eduardo Nicol by R. Horneffer”, in Journal of Catalan Intellectual History, Issue 9&10, 2015. 

Conference Proceedings

• Alvarado, M. (2018) “Multiculturalismo, identidad y otredad; una lectura nicoliana sobre el problema de la sustancialidad de las comunidades modernas”, in Anuari de la Societat Catalana de Filosofia, 28&29, 193-202

Conference Activity/Participation 

• 2018   “The limits of multiculturalism” at New Directions Conference, University of Edinburgh, April 20th.
• 2018   Panel Discussion: “Transnational Family Practices” at New Directions Conference, University of Edinburgh, April 19th.
• 2018    "Some Ideas on the Concept of Identity" at The Seventh Symposium of European Postgraduate Students CONACYT, European Parliament, Strasbourg, April 11-13.  
• 2017    "Critique as a research of the limits; the case of Multicultural Theory" at ‘What’ and ‘How’ of Critique: Styles, Issues and Confrontations in Critical Social Theory and Research, Durham University, September 20th.
• 2017    “Multiculturalism and Identity” at the Conference Utopia and Dystopia: Government, Citizens and State, University of Aberdeen, March 15th
• 2017     “Comments on Jatinder Mann’s The Search for a New National Identity: The Rise of Multiculturalism in Canada and Australia, 1890s–1970s, University of Edinburgh, January 19th. 
• 2016   “Multiculturalism and Identity: towards a non-essentialist approach” at New Directions Conference, University of Edinburgh, March 21st.
• 2015     “Multiculturalism, identity and otherness; an approach from Nicol’s philosophy to the problem of substantialism of modern communities” at the 4th Catalan Congress of Philosophy, Societat Catalana de Filosofia, Barcelona, November 25-28.
• 2013     “Is there any positive philosophy’s contribution to modern society?” at The International Congress on The social Impact of Philosophy,  Ibero-American University,  Mexico City, August 21-23.   
• 2012    “Education and the modern world” at The Congress on Philosophy and Education in Mexico,  Hidalgo’s Arts and Humanities Association, Hidalgo, Mexico, March 12-16.

Teaching Experience

• 2013 -2015        Oral and Written Expression; an Introduction to Communication Science, Technological University of Mexico.
• 2013 -2015        Science,Technology and Humanism, Technological University of Mexico.

Tutoring Experience

• 2017-2018        Social Theory

Research Groups

• 2016       Citizens, Nations and Migration (CNaM) Research Network, University of Edinburgh. 
• 2012       Grup de Recerca Hermenèutica, Platonisme i Modernitat (Research Group: Hermeneutics, Platonism and Modernity),  Departament de Filosofia Teorètica i Pràctica, Facultat de Filosofia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.