Dr. Pirruccello’s research engages philosophies of personal and social liberation. Operating at the intersection of somatic, social, religious and political practice, such philosophies explore means of interrupting debilitating ideologies and identities. Her articles have appeared in Philosophy East and West, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Cahiers Simone Weil, and other international journals and anthologies. She has presented and published work on French philosopher Simone Weil, examining her somatically-based views of human freedom. Professor Pirruccello has also written on Weil’s philosophy of science and extensive use of imagery. More recently, Dr. Pirruccello has undertaken research on metaphilosophical issues connected with cultural interdependence, and is helping to bring French feminist criticism and Chinese Buddhism to bear on critical issues in comparative philosophy. Current research projects/interests include an examination of academic freedom from a cross-cultural perspective, Chan and Zen Buddhist sources of social critique, and comparative analysis of Foucault’s philosophical method.