The North American Sartre Society (NASS) is an inclusive academic community dedicated to the study of the existentialist tradition in all its varieties, including the work of Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980). 

Aiming to foster diverse and pluralistic approaches, we understand the existentialist tradition to include work from thinkers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Frantz Fanon, Richard Wright, Angela Davis, Albert Camus, among many others. This expansive view also encompasses African American, feminist, postcolonial, and other critical perspectives, reflecting our commitment to a broad, pluralistic understanding of existentialism.

 In the spirit of Sartre’s eclectic thinking, we support research and pedagogy in the fields of philosophy, literature, theater, aesthetics, psychology, politics, intellectual history, art, music, and other disciplines. Within these disciplines, we aim to cover a wide range of thematic concerns, including politics, literature, (de-)colonialism, (anti-)racism, (anti-)fascism, ecology, Marxism, disability and more.

We organize an international conference each fall and have a partnership with the journal Sartre Studies International. 

Membership and contact information can be found here.

The North American Sartre Society is committed to anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and anti-fascism.