Why Things Matter: Being Posthuman in the Humanities
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
22-9-2016 10:00 AM
Description
When is the last time you considered your keychain in a deeply intimate way? If you’re like most people, the answer is never. However, Dr. Lovvorn will suggest that you should. And even though his talk doesn’t focus on keychains alone, he will ask attendees to think about little things that often go unnoticed. In “Technology is Society Made Durable,” Bruno Latour examines ways in which ideas are translated into action and contends that “We are never faced with objects or social relations, we are faced with chains which are associations of human (H) and non-humans (NH).” That is, when we consider how activities unfold and how work occurs in the world, Latour promotes a posthuman view that things matter, often in ways that are overlooked or underappreciated. No matter where we gaze, objects and technologies have profoundly affected, and continue to affect, our social narrative. For students of the Humanities, a field which foregrounds human achievement and does so in a decidedly anthropocentric manner, things are often relegated to narrative backdrop—positioned merely as tools bent to the wills of people. In this context, is a posthuman perspective even relevant? As humanists, should we give objects a more prominent place on stage? If so, why? Following on such questions, Dr. Lovvorn will explore in this talk the contours of a “posthuman” discussion in the academy, and with humanistic study in mind, discuss why we might give more attention to the things around us.
Recommended Citation
Lovvorn, Jason, "Why Things Matter: Being Posthuman in the Humanities" (2016). Humanities Symposium. 14.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2016/2016/14
Why Things Matter: Being Posthuman in the Humanities
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
When is the last time you considered your keychain in a deeply intimate way? If you’re like most people, the answer is never. However, Dr. Lovvorn will suggest that you should. And even though his talk doesn’t focus on keychains alone, he will ask attendees to think about little things that often go unnoticed. In “Technology is Society Made Durable,” Bruno Latour examines ways in which ideas are translated into action and contends that “We are never faced with objects or social relations, we are faced with chains which are associations of human (H) and non-humans (NH).” That is, when we consider how activities unfold and how work occurs in the world, Latour promotes a posthuman view that things matter, often in ways that are overlooked or underappreciated. No matter where we gaze, objects and technologies have profoundly affected, and continue to affect, our social narrative. For students of the Humanities, a field which foregrounds human achievement and does so in a decidedly anthropocentric manner, things are often relegated to narrative backdrop—positioned merely as tools bent to the wills of people. In this context, is a posthuman perspective even relevant? As humanists, should we give objects a more prominent place on stage? If so, why? Following on such questions, Dr. Lovvorn will explore in this talk the contours of a “posthuman” discussion in the academy, and with humanistic study in mind, discuss why we might give more attention to the things around us.
Comments
Convocation Credit: Society and the Arts and Sciences