About Nicole des Bouvrie:
I am a female freelance philosopher, art/ACT therapist, teacher, epistemologist, human being, and (fiction) writer. My initial steps into philosophy are autodidactic, eventually culminating in a PhD in Philosophy, Art and Critical Thought (European Graduate School, 2015). My dissertation on ‘The Necessity of the Impossible’ (Exilic Press, 2019) was supervised by Anne Dufourmantelle.
North-West region, Netherlands
Eindhoven region, Netherlands
Attends University College, Utrecht, a liberal arts college with an international student body and full-English curriculum
Studying sociolinguistics and Old English while becoming proficient in German
After finishing my BA, I went to live in Dnipropretrovsk for 2 months, and one month of travelling around Ukraine, including Crimea.
Working in administration at the Baha’i World Center, Haifa
Doing a master in Political Philosophy in Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Intensive courses in Switzerland each summer (1 month), living and working in the Netherlands throughout the year.
Basically living in the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin to finish writing my dissertation, while working as an au-pair to pay for room & board.
First project collaboration with Fudan University.
Visiting researcher at Maryland University, while living in a suburb just outside Washington DC
Writing and researching.
Living in outskirts of Shanghai, while working at Fudan University.
Still travelling a lot, but from base in the Netherlands. Annual trips to Nordic / Baltic region, where I co-organise symposia for Nordic Summer University
Private practice at Parkstraat 54, Nuenen.
Contact me:
Email: nicole.nobyeni @ gmail.com
Visiting address, private practice: Parkstraat 54, Nuenen, the Netherlands.
Author
“Diagnosis of the Contemporary Philosopher” (Dutch, Damon, 2018). Why I wrote it (here in English) and more about the book itself (here in Dutch). An English translation is forthcoming. Perhaps.
“The Necessity of the Impossible” (English, Exilic Press, 2019)
More information about current and finished writing projects.
Philosopher & ACT/Art therapist
As a philosopher, I write (academic & non-academic, fiction & philosophy). I write reviews of philosophy books and cultural events for several websites. As an ACT therapist I support people who are facing a personal struggle and want to have existential, meaningful conversations that are not focused at ‘solving’ a problem, but broaden the perspective of how to approach it. Focusing on growth instead of solutions. Through conversations it is possible to find out where our thinking is coming from and what it is based on. By exploring other possible paradigms and philosophical approaches to life, one can find ways to deal with the questions that touch who we are.
Coordinator Feminist Philosophy Study Groups
I am co-coordinator of a study group on Feminist Philosophy focusing on ‘Hospitality & Solidarity‘ (2020-2022) and An/Other\not-I/(m)\Other in Feminist Philosophy (2024-2026) at the Nordic Summer University, where I am also a (volunteer) board member. We host two annual symposia aiming at creating a space for exploring thought together. As a coordinator I am also involved in editing special issues of peer-reviewed journals, and co-leading writing groups and reading groups on feminist philosophy.
Teacher
I teach philosophy and ACT to artists and therapists at Vrije Academie ’t Pad. I also teach different courses, such as a 4-day course ‘Philosophy for the Artist‘ in which philosophical concepts are used as a tool to develop your artistic practice. I also teach and lead philosophical conversational groups in different spaces. More information on current courses I teach in Dutch, can be found here.
Some feedback from students (in Dutch):
“Nicole is ACT. Daarmee is ze heel kien op concepten, overtuigingen en kan ze er direct op inspelen.”
“Steady, kundig, alert.”
“Verbonden, kundig, ruimte gevend.”
“Ik vond het erg fijn hoe Nicole de groeps- en soms ook individuele processen in de gaten hield.”
Scholar, post-doc and researcher
As a post-doc researcher I have been involved (2016-2019) with the sustainable behaviour research group to prof. Marie Harder at Dept. of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, and as a Research Fellow at Brighton University (UK). In the Autumn of 2016 I was a visiting scholar to the University of Maryland with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace, Prof. Hoda Mahmoudi.
For present writing projects, please click here.
More details on Linkedin or read my current C.V. (in Dutch).