Saba Fatima  pronounced Sub-ah Fahthmah

I am an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).

I received my PhD in Philosophy from Social, Political, Ethical, & Legal (SPEL) Philosophy Department at Binghamton University, NY.

Currently, I am settled in Southern Illinois, near St. Louis, MO and love teaching at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

I was also the host of the podcast, She Speaks: Academic Muslimahs

Some of my areas of specialty include:

• Social Epistemology (microaggressions, paranoia as minorities, American Ignorance)

• Social and political theory within prescriptive Islam (jihad, Mahdi, akhlaq, sabr) 

• Muslim/Muslim-American issues within a framework of feminist & race theory (racialization of Muslim American identity, feminist concerns within Muslim communities, #MeToo, politics of hijab)

• Medical humanities (financial aspects of current healthcare system, physician burnout and character)

Contact Information:

Email: sfatima@siue.edu 

“What does it mean to be an American? American Ignorance and Social Imagination of Citizenship” in Hypatia, 2023:1-19. doi:10.1017/hyp.2023.81

“The Earth King, ignorance and responsibility” in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy: Wisdom from Aang to Zuko, edited by Johan De Smedt and Helen De Cruz, Wiley-Blackwell, 2022 

“Karachi, "First Worlds," And The Spaces in Between” Co-written with Sana Rizvi. In A Love Letter to This Bridge Called My Back, edited by Wilson, Acuff, Kraehe, University of Arizona Press. 2022

“Navigating the #MeToo Terrain in an Islamophobic Environment” Social Philosophy Today, Volume 37, 2021, p. 57–74

“Philosophy, Liberation, and Other Roads Less Travelled: Being Asian in Philosophy,” What Is It Like to Be a Philosopher of Asian Descent?, APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian American Philosophers and Philosophies, Volume 20, number 1, Fall 2020

“I know what happened to me: The Epistemic Harms of Microaggression” in Microaggression and Philosophy. Edited by Lauren Freeman and Jeanine Weekes Schroer, Routledge, 163-183,  2020

 “On the Road to Losing Ourselves - Religion Based Immigration Tests,” in Ethics, Left and Right: The Moral Issues That Divide Us. edited by Bob Fischer, Oxford University Press,  2019. pg. 216-232.

 “Physician Ethics: How Billing Relates to Patient Care,” Journal of Hospital Ethics, Vol 5 No 3: Systems, Winter 2019

“On the Edge of Knowing: Microaggression and Epistemic Uncertainty as a Woman of Color,” in Surviving Sexism in Academia: Feminist Strategies for Leadership, edited by Kirsti Cole and Holly Hassel, Routledge 2017, p. 147-154

“Contested Terrains of Women of Color and Third World Women,” Co-authored by Kristie Dotson, Ranjoo Seodu Herr, Serene J. Khader and Stella Nyanzi. Musings, Hypatia, Volume 33, Issue 3, Summer 2017, p. 731–742

“Striving for God’s Attention: Gendered Spaces and Piety,” Hypatia, Vol. 31, Issue 3, 2016, p. 605-619

“Can Doctors Maintain Good Character? An Examination of Physician Lives,” J. of Medical Humanities, 2016, p.1-15 

“Liberalism and the Muslim-American Predicament,” Social Theory and Practice, vol. 40, no. 4, 2014, p.591-608

“Muslim-American Scripts” Hypatia, Volume 28, Issue 2, 2013, p.341–359

“Presence of Mind” Social Philosophy Today, Volume 28, 2012, p. 131-146

“Who Counts as a Muslim? Identity, Multiplicity and Politics” Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, Volume 31, Issue 3, 2011, p. 339-353

“An Examination of the Ethics of Submissiveness,” Journal of Islamic Philosophy, Volume 4, 2008, p. 3–21. 

• Does It Really Make a Difference to the Global South Who Is In Power? - Philosophers On the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, Daily Nous, November 10, 2020 

• Challenges for Women in Online Philosophy: Performativity and Clout, The Blog of the American Philosophical Association (APA), September 23, 2020

• The Case for Teaching (as a means to fight against anti-black racism), The Philosophers' Cocoon, June3rd, 2020

• Guilt Free Mom Travels, SIUE Women's Studies Program Blog, April 19, 2019

• What is it like to be a philosopher?, May 16th, 2019

• Failure, Fitness, and Feminism, Fit Is a Feminist Issue Blog, August 11, 2018

• Exercising During Ramadhan, Fit Is a Feminist Issue Blog, May 30, 2018

• Walk a mile in our shoes ….by learning about our actual experiences, SIUE Women's Studies Program Blog, February 14, 2018 

• Walking the Talk of Inclusivity: Prohibitive Costs of Bioethics & Humanities Conferences, International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics Blog, October 26, 2017

• On Being Muslim & American, Philosopher, September 10, 2016

• Visibility & Piety, SIUE Women's Studies Program Blog, April 18, 2016

• Being a Shia Muslim Philosopher – Double Consciousness, Resistance, & Spirituality

• Four ways to condemn violence against minorities in Pakistan that are all wrong!, The Express Tribune (Pakistan) May 20, 2015 

• Am I Being Paranoid? Being a Woman of Color in Academia, SIUE Women's Studies Program Blog, April 20, 2015 

• Indignation Without Reflection: Malala and the Western Imagination, SIUE Women's Studies Program Blog, October 12, 2014

• • “Marginalized within the Margins, Modesty, and the Me Too Movement in Muslim American Lives” American Philosophical Association- Eastern Division, New York City, NY, Jan 2019

  • “Let’s Strategize: Exploring Microaggressions in Academia and Finding A Way Forward” Workshop; National Women Studies Association, Atlanta, GA, Nov 2018

  •  “Navigating Politics from the Peripheral: The United States’ Muslim Problem' ; Central American Philosophical Association, Chicago, IL, Mar 2018 

  •  “Democracy After Trump”; Eastern American Philosophical Association, Savanah, GA, Jan 2018

  •  “Patriarchy as Justification for “Uncitizening”: The Case of Muslim Refugees”; National Women Studies Association, Baltimore, MD, Nov 2017

  •  “Experiencing Prejudice: Examining the Muslim American Case”; Prejudice: ​Intersecting Methods and Perspectives, Washington University in St Louis, Nov 2017

  •  “Billing Low Income Uninsured Patients as an Ethical Concern”; Health Humanities Consortium, Houston, Texas, Mar 2017 

  •  “From Where I Stand: Critical Distance in Bioethics as Choice and Circumstance”; American Society for Bioethics & Humanities, Washington DC, Oct 2016

  • “Being Brown in Academia and Epistemic Insecurity”; Central American Philosophical Association, Chicago, IL, Mar 2016 

  •  “Torture and the American Social Imagination,” ; California Roundtable on Philosophy and Race, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH Oct, 2015

  •  “Difficult Conversation Panel: Damage by Allies,”; Association for Feminist Ethics and Social Theory, Clearwater Beach, FL, Oct 2015

  • “Being Brown in Academia and Epistemic Insecurity,” 32nd International Social Philosophy Conference: Education & Social Justice; North American Society for Social Philosophy, William Jewell College, Liberty, MO, July 2015 

  •  “Women of Color in the Academy and Epistemic Doubt,” Exploring Collaborative Contestations and Diversifying Philosophy ; APA Committee on the Status of Women & Hypatia, Villanova, PA, May 2015

  • “Epistemic Friction and Responsible Knowing: Reflections on José Medina's The Epistemology of Resistance,” Society for Analytic Feminism Session at Central American Philosophical Association, Feb 2015

  •  “Liberating Traditions: Asian Religions and Transnational Feminisms,” ; American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, Nov 2014

  •  “Beauvoir’s Analysis of the Muslim Woman,” ; Diverse Lineages of Existentialism, St. Louis, MO, Jun 2014

  • “Divine Consumption: Sustainability within Halal Food Laws,” 30th International Social Philosophy Conference: Food; North American Society for Social Philosophy, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut, Jul 2013

  •  “The Possibility of Character for a Doctor,” Virtue, Vice, and Character; 39th Conference on Value Inquiry, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, Apr 2013

  •  “Experiences in Makkah & Madinah: Gender & Space,”;  Shifting Paradigms: Theology, Philosophy, and Doctrine, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY, Apr 2013

  •  “Muslim Scripts,” Crossing Borders Fall 2011 Conference; Association for Feminist Ethics and Social Theory, Zion, Illinois, Sep 2011 

  •  “Presence of Mind,” 28th International Social Philosophy Conference: Freedom, Religion and Gender; North American Society for Social Philosophy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jul, 2011 

  • “Public Reason And Muslim Americans," 27th International Social Philosophy Conference: Poverty, Markets, and Justice; North American Society for Social Philosophy Conference, Ryerson University, Toronto, Jul 2010

• “#MeToo & Muslim Women Unconference” New Horizons in British Islam, London, UK, April 2019

• “Sharam, Haya, and the MeToo Movement in Muslim Communities” De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, April 2019

• “Sharam, Haya, and the MeToo Movement in Muslim Communities” Department of History, Philosophy and Culture and the BAME Action Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK, March 2019.

• “#MeToo in Muslim America” Inspiring TriVia: The Sarah L. Hoagland Speaker Series, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, March 2019.

• “#MeToo in Muslim America” SLU Women's and Gender Studies Department, St Louis University, St Louis, MO, Jan 2019

• Marginalized within the Margins, Modesty, and the Me Too Movement in Muslim American Lives, American Philosophical Association Eastern, New York City, NY, January 2019

• “#MeToo in the context of Muslim American Lives” Center for Philosophy of Religion, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, Oct 2018

•  “#MeToo in the context of Muslim American Lives” Women Studies Program, SIUE, Oct 2018

•  “Combating Anti-Muslim Oppression,” St. Louis Anti-Racist Collective (ARC), Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), St. Louis, Apr 2017

• “A Conversation on the Muslim American community,” Bethel Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Feb 2017

• “Muslim American Political Disenfranchisement,” A Night of Philosophy and Ideas, Brooklyn Public Library and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Jan 2017

• “The Muslim-American Problem,” University of North Carolina Charlotte, Nov 2016

• “Oppressive Freedoms: hijab, burkini, and bikinis,” SIUE Women Studies Program, Sept 2016

• “ Introduction to Shia Islam” Life Long Learning Programs, SIUE, April 2016

• “Gynecologic Care of Muslim Patients” Mercy Hospital, St. Louis, MO, Dec 2015

• “Embracing our Muslim Neighbors” Center for Spirituality & Sustainability, SIUE, Oct 2015

•  "Conversations about being a minority in academia, MAP (Minorities and Philosophy) Brooklyn College, May 2015

•  “Women of Color in the Academy and Epistemic Doubt,” SIUE Women's Studies Spring Events, Mar 2015

•  “Understanding Race Lingo: Racial Experiences in America,”  SIUE Black Lives Matter Series, SIUE, Mar 2015

•  “Sectarianism in the Middle East,” Lifelong Learning Programs - Great Decisions Series, SIUE, Feb 2015

•  “Islamic awakening,” Lifelong Learning Programs - Great Decisions Series, SIUE, Mar 2014

•  “SIUE Hijab Day Challenge,” Muslim Student Association, SIUE Chapter, Feb 2014

•  “Muslim Women Today” Life Long Learning Programs, SIUE, Sep 2013 AND Edwardsville Library Spring Program, Edwardsville Public Library, Mar 2013

•  “Women in Islam in the context of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.” The Year of the Book Series, Women Studies Program, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Oct 2012

•  “Medical Ethics and Empathy,” Senior Resident FOCUS, Family Medicine Residency Program at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Edgewood, KY; Sep 2011 & Aug 2012

•  “Muslim Political Identity,” 2010 Sagan National Colloquium, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH Sep 2010