A Short History of the BPPA

In 1997, two Sheffield philosophy postgraduates, Ewan McEachran and Simon Kirchin, decided that a large, unthemed, national postgraduate conference was needed. Postgraduates — particularly philosophy postgrads — are by and large an isolated lot. It seemed an act of kindness, and maybe even necessity, to establish an event where students could meet their peers, discuss academic and non-academic topics of mutual interest, establish contacts and friendships, and return home invigorated and inspired as never before.

Our first annual conference was held in Sheffield in 1997 under the name The National Postgraduate Analytic Philosophy Conference, or NPAPC. The first NPAPC was such an outstanding success that it became an annual fixture, although, unlike Glastonbury, it has travelled to a different university each year: recent venues include Durham, Reading, Bristol, Cambridge, Warwick, York... and many more. The aims for our annual conference remain largely unchanged from these early days: to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of quality postgraduate philosophy, and to foster contacts between students of different universities. It is usually a very friendly and refreshing event, with excellent papers from some of Britain’s top philosophy students, and lively socialising the rest of the time.

In 2000, an association was formed to co-ordinate the smooth running of NPAPCs and to ensure that essential know-how is passed down from year to year. The National Postgraduate Philosophy Association, as it came to be called was tremendously successful. Little did we know that this was just a chrysalis, and that a splendid new creature was about to emerge.