Dr Herjeet Marway

Dr Herjeet Marway

Department of Philosophy
Lecturer

Contact details

Address
ERI Building, 156
Department of Philosophy
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

My teaching and research is broadly at the intersection of feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, and global justice.

Qualifications

  • LLB Kings College London
  • PhD University of Birmingham
  • MSc University of Birmingham

Biography

I am a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, and work broadly in the area of feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, and global justice. This includes having research interests in bioethics, relational autonomy, and racism. I have previously served as founding Chairperson of the Ethics Committee of Surrogacy UK, and as a member of the Ethics Committee of Birmingham Children's Hospital. Before returning to academia, I worked as a consultant in industry.

Teaching

I have taught on a range of courses in the department, including:

  • Prejudice, Race and Gender (3rd year undergraduate)
  • Global Bioethics (3rd year undergraduate)
  • Feminist Philosophy (2nd year undergraduate)
  • Applied Ethics (1st year undergraduate)
  • Global Ethics II (postgraduate)

Postgraduate supervision

I am happy to supervise on most areas of global ethics. I am especially interested in gender and race justice (e.g. transnational feminisms and decolonialism), bioethics (e.g. surrogacy, genetic selection, reproductive justice), and relational autonomy (e.g. limitations and developments).


Find out more - our PhD Philosophy  page has information about doctoral research at the University of Birmingham.

Research

My research broadly addresses the theme of difficult choices in oppressive contexts, from a feminist and critical race perspective. I am interested in structural barriers that constrain particular groups, as well as the parameters of agency, such as resistance to oppression, within such contexts. As a philosopher who works in global ethics, I am drawn to applied ethics issues that extend beyond the nation state, that require a cross-disciplinary approach, and that particularly affect marginalised groups. More specifically, my research interests are threefold:

  • Relational autonomy. I work on feminist conceptions of autonomy that are relational and intersectional, and apply these to (e.g.) women involved in violent groups and surrogates in order to better understand their agency.
  • Global bioethics. I explore the ethics of a range of issues within bioethics, including global surrogacy contracts, reproductive justice, the commodification of bodies, genetic selection for non-disease traits such as skin colour, and healthcare provision. 
  • Global gender and race justice. I work on transnational feminisms and decolonialism, and about global issues where gender and race intersect, including, most recently, reparations, oppression, and identity.