Brett Buchanan
Brett Buchanan
BIO
Hello! Welcome to my website. I am Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario), and a philosopher with teaching and research expertise in contemporary continental philosophy, ethics, environmental humanities, and animal studies.
Previously I served as Dean of Arts for four years at Concordia University of Edmonton, and before that a tenured Full Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at Laurentian University from 2006-2021. From 2014 to 2020 I was the Director of the School of the Environment (a unit that included Archaeology, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Études de l'environnement, and Science Communication), and I was previously Chair of the Department of Philosophy (2009, 2010, 2013-2015). I was also affiliated with Laurentian's Humanities M.A. and the Human Studies Ph.D., graduate programs through which I supervised students.
In 2015 I was a Visiting Fellow at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where I was able to pursue research projects with colleagues in philosophical ethology, and during a six-month sabbatical in 2017 I was a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Philosophy at the École normale supérieure in Paris. During spring and summer of 2021 I was an Environmental Humanities Visiting Research Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh (a virtual fellowship due to COVID19). During 2021-2022 I was a Visiting Scholar in the Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism (CSTC) at Western University.
Over the course of my career I have sat on a number of scholarly boards and committees, including Wilfrid Laurier University Press's Environmental Humanities book series, Environmental Humanities journal, and Animalities, a new book series with Edinburgh University Press.
In 2018 I was the President of the Association for Literature, Environment, and Culture in Canada (ALECC) (and Past-President, 2019), and I have previously served as Secretary and V-P of The Society for Existential and Phenomenological Theory and Culture (EPTC). Through my research and administrative roles, I have led and co-organized several colloquia & workshops, including Thinking Extinction (Sudbury, 2013) and Field Philosophy (Paris, 2017).
In addition to the above, my teaching and research include additional personal interests like sports ethics, aesthetics, philosophies of technology, and place-based outdoor education. The latter has led me to collaborate with LU's Outdoor Adventure Leadership program, and in June 2019 I was fortunate to thru-hike, together with 3rd year students, the Daisetzusan mountain range for 10 days in Hokkaido, Japan (photo: right), and in autumn 2021 participate in a 7 day canoe expedition in northern Ontario.
Within the community I have actively worked and volunteered with environmental and arts NGOs, and supported local initiatives and advocacy groups to promote safer, healthier, and more inclusive lifestyles.
I'm an avid reader of all genres, and a passionate advocate of the arts, the environment, and higher education. I run, bike, hike, and cross-country ski whenever possible ... including to campus!
Education
DePaul University (PhD, 2006)
University of Western Ontario (MA, 1999)
University of Alberta (BA Honours, 1997)
Academic Appointments
2026- present: Dean of Arts & Humanities, Western University
2022- 2026: Dean of Arts & Professor of Philosophy, Concordia University of Edmonton
2022-present: Adjunct Academic Colleague, Department of Philosophy, University of Alberta
2021-2022: Visiting Scholar, Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism, Western University
2021: Environmental Humanities Visiting Research Fellow, IASH, University of Edinburgh (Scotland)
2018 - 2021: Full Professor, Laurentian University
2014- 2020: Director, School of the Environment, Laurentian University
2017: Visiting Researcher, Department of Philosophy, École Normale Supérieure (Paris, France)
2013 - present: Adjunct professor, York University
2007 - 2021: Core faculty member, Humanities MA, Laurentian University
2007 - 2021: Associate faculty member, Human Studies PhD, Laurentian University
2011 - 2018: Associate Professor, Laurentian University
2015: Visiting Fellow, Curtin University (Perth, Australia)
2006 - 2011: Assistant Professor, Laurentian University
2004 - 2006: Instructor, York University
