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Sonya Özbey is an Associate Professor specializing in Chinese Philosophy at the University of Michigan. Her research examines early Chinese thought within the context of early modern European philosophy, focusing on the philosophical, rhetorical, and conceptual tools used by thinkers to understand and articulate social worlds. Sonya's forthcoming book, "Beasts: Humans, Animals, Spinoza, Zhuangzi" (Oxford University Press, 2024), investigates the human-animal distinction as it is expressed in the ancient Chinese text "Zhuangzi" and the works of the seventeenth-century European philosopher Benedict de Spinoza. The book aims to bridge philosophical traditions and contribute to contemporary debates regarding constructions of humanness, animality, and the categories of difference such as gender and ability. She has published articles exploring the notions of personhood in the Zhuangzi and has contributed to discussions on cross-species communication in philosophy. Özbey's work is characterized by a comparative approach that seeks to reveal the complexities of philosophical texts and their relevance to modern inquiries.
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science