OBITUARY: Sue Campbell
Clark, Stephen
From: owner-p...@marnier.louisiana.edu [owner-p...@marnier.louisiana.edu] On Behalf Of Michael Hymers [mhy...@dal.ca]
Sent: 16 February 2011 18:31
To: PHIL...@louisiana.edu
Subject: In Memoriam--Sue Campbell
Dr. Susan Leslie (Sue) Campbell (54) passed away on Saturday, February 12
2011 at the Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, Canada, surrounded by her
loving family. Sue was a teacher, a philosopher, and a genuinely kind
person. As a philosopher and teacher, her generosity and great courage
illuminated the world for so many; as a loved one and friend, she showed us
all grace through the trying times and humility through the good. Her
sense of humour--sometimes dark, sometimes gentle--could always be counted
on to make the emotion of self-pity impossible. Sue was a member of the
Philosophy Department and Gender and Women's Studies program at Dalhousie
University (Halifax, Canada) since 1992. She truly enjoyed students and
was moved by their efforts to become thoughtful adults. Sue was a valued
colleague and devoted mentor in both Philosophy and the Gender and Women's
Studies Program. She was a passionate gardener, a lover of bad movies,
coffee shops and beer, a rescuer of wild flowers, a poet, and a proud cabin
owner.
Sue was an internationally recognized scholar with expertise in philosophy
of memory, psychology, and feminism. Her work is broad in its scope and
influence and deep in its analysis and implications. Her leadership in
philosophical perspectives on these subjects is felt in many areas of
scholarship and practice, including philosophy, women's and gender studies,
public policy, psychology, and law. She was an exceptionally gifted and
committed teacher who has inspired and mentored a great many undergraduate
and graduate students.
Her research encompassed many areas in philosophy, including embodiment,
memory and "false memories," race and racism, feelings, emotions, health,
sexuality, relational self-construction, conceptions of authenticity,
reparations, experience, and agency. Much of her work helps to make clear
the significant interconnections among these apparently diverse areas of
scholarship. Among the many significant scholarly contributions she has
made, Campbell's work on memory is especially notable. Her book Relational
Remembering: Rethinking the Memory Wars was awarded the North American
Society for Social Philosophy Book Prize in 2003, and was named a Choice
Notable Academic Title. This book made major interventions on many
important aspects of thinking about the place of memory in personal and
legal testimony and is regarded as necessary reading for anyone theorizing
memory and its reliability
In recognition of the import of her work on relationality, responsibility,
and memory, Campbell was commissioned to prepare two discussion papers for
the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada Truth and Reconciliation
Commission: "Challenges to Memory in Political Contexts: Recognizing
Disrespectful Challenge" and "Remembering for the Future: Memory as a Lens
on the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission."
These papers helped to set the foundation for the work of the Commission,
providing a vivid demonstration of the relevance of Campbell's work on
memory to some of the most important issues facing Canada now.
Campbell's work on memory is rooted in her important and original work on
relationality (i.e., the importance of attending to the role of social and
political relations in shaping personal experiences) and in her analyses of
the collective expressive resources people need in their most intimate and
personal experiences of feeling. An early article set the stage for what
has become a flourishing network of thinking in these areas: "Being
Dismissed: The Politics of Emotional Expression," published in the foremost
international journal for feminist philosophy (Hypatia: A Journal of
Feminist Philosophy, Vol.9, No.3 (1994)). In 2010, as part of its
celebration of 25 years of publication, this journal asked its readers to
nominate the three articles published to date that were especially
generative for their own work and formative for feminist philosophy. The
articles selected "capture especially well the thinking on pivotal issues,
at key junctures, in the development of feminist philosophy as a field."
This article ("Being Dismissed") appeared on the final list of the 16 most
influential and significant articles to be published in the history of the
journal.
In the same area of thinking, Campbell's first book, Interpreting the
Personal: Expression and the Formation of Feelings, has won widespread
recognition as a truly original and significant text in the philosophy of
psychology, and more specifically, philosophy of the emotions. Interpreting
the Personal was shortlisted for the Canadian Philosophical Association
Book Prize, a notably competitive award. It won scholarly recognition in
the form of positive reviews in top academic journals. Like Campbell's
texts on memory, this book has traveled beyond the bounds of the discipline
of philosophy. It is widely cited and relied upon in gender and women's
studies, in clinical work in psychology, and in cultural studies.
Campbell also co-edited two collections of original essays on
ground-breaking topics. Racism and Philosophy is one of the first
philosophy books to address this difficult subject. Embodiment and Agency
is the first collection of essays to bring into focus connections between
two important topics that are primarily explored separately in philosophy
circles (embodiment and agency). Both are notable not only for the
excellence of the collections, but also for their inclusion of work by
junior scholars alongside essays by already-eminent scholars. In such ways,
Dr. Campbell consistently helped to mentor and promote the careers of
beginning scholars who gain valuable recognition through their proximity to
well known experts.
While the effects of innovative pedagogy and ongoing mentorship of students
and junior colleagues is harder to map than the data available through
publications and conference presentations, this is indubitably a
significant area of Campbell's achievements. Her quality as a teacher,
mentor, and supervisor is unparalleled. Many of the graduate and
undergraduate students she inspired have gone on to their own professional
careers where they are building on some of Campbell's ideas in innovative
ways.
Sue Campbell was extraordinary in her commitment to interdisciplinary,
collaborative research. Her record of leadership and collegiality in
collaborative inquiry is remarkable and the results of her collaborations
are impressive. She has pursued a stellar career path while facilitating
the research of numerous collaborators at all levels of academic achievement.
Sue was born in Edmonton and completed her undergraduate and graduate
degrees in philosophy at the University of Alberta. She received her
doctorate from the University of Toronto. Sue is predeceased by her
parents Pat and Bill Campbell, both of Edmonton. She is survived by her
loving partner, Jan Sutherland, and her beloved sisters Katy Campbell (Rick
Roder) and Lori Campbell (Barry Snell), by her precious nieces Jesse
Campbell and Courtney Wells (Parker), and great-nephew Xander. Having come
from a sociable family, Sue's friendships meant a great deal to her and, in
particular, Rocky Jacobsen, David Checkland, Susan Sherwin, Shirley
Tillotson, Duncan MacIntosh and Ami Harbin were stalwart to the
end. Mention must also be made of Stanley and Sugar, the pets who brought
Sue much comfort and joy over the years.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sue Campbell Scholarship
Fund c/o Ben McIsaac, Development Office, Dalhousie University, MacDonald
Building, 6300 Coburg Rd, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5. Online condolences may be
made through www.cruikshankhalifaxfuneralhome.com.
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Michael Hymers
Professor & Graduate Coordinator
Department of Philosophy
Acting Coordinator, Linguistics
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3H 4P9
tel: (902) 494-3548
fax: (902) 494-3518
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