professor dr. Heleen Pott

universitair docent

Heleen Pott studied philosophy, sociology and literature at the University of Amsterdam. After her doctoral studies (graduation UvA 1985 cum laude) she worked as a NWO researcher at the Department of Philosophy UvA (1987-1992). She  wrote a dissertation on the ‘cognitive turn’ that took place during the 1970s and 1980’s in interdisciplinary emotion research (UvA 1992 cum laude; supervisors  Theo de Boer and  Nico Frijda). From 1992 on, she has been Assistant Professor (0,7) at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Philosophy (capgroep wijsbegeerte)  at  Maastricht University. In 1999, she was appointed (special) Professor  at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She holds the Socrates Chair of Arts & Culture  in the Department of History & Arts, and in the Department of Philosophy.

 

She published books and articles on a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the philosophy of emotions through American pragmatism (William James, Richard Rorty)  & postkantian naturalism (Schopenhauer, Nietzsche) to matters of  literature, art, politics and cultural hermeneutics. She also contributed reviews and articles to newspapers and magazines.

 

During her career she served on the editorial board of several journals, including het Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Wijsbegeerte, Krisis, and Filosofie & Praktijk. Outside academia, she was a member of the Board of the Dutch Humanistic Association, het Humanistisch Verbond (2005-2008).

 

In 2000 she was Visiting Professor at the Emotion Centre/University of Haifa (NWO travel grant). In 2007-2008 she was a fellow at the NIAS in Wassenaar. In 2009 she was a Visiting Professor at the Charles University Prague.

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Main research interests:
History and philosophy of emotion theories; post-Kantian naturalism; American pragmatism; trauma and cultural memory.  Current research topic: Rethinking Emotion. Affect and Cognition in the History of Science and Philosophy.