Tag: Cultural Studies

Writing in Place with Alice Te Punga Somerville

May 30, 2012

In Once Were Pacific: Māori Connections to Place, Alice Te Punga Somerville illustrates how Māori and other Pacific peoples draw their identity not only from land but also from water. She interrogates the relationship between indigeneity, migration, and diaspora, focusing on texts such as poetry, fiction, theater, film, and music, viewed alongside historical instances of … More Writing in Place with Alice Te Punga Somerville

Representation and the digital environment: Essential challenges for humanists

May 16, 2012

 BY JOHANNA DRUCKER Breslauer Professor of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles The basic challenge for humanists comes from adopting visualizations that don’t suit our fundamental epistemological values. Obviously humanism is not monolithic. But methods of statistical analysis and empirical observation are grafted onto the humanities, they were not created from within … More Representation and the digital environment: Essential challenges for humanists

The Occupy Movement and the General Strike on #MayDay

April 30, 2012

BY EUGENE W. HOLLANDProfessor and chair of comparative studies at Ohio State University The Occupy movement has already spawned one general strike—a spontaneous mass reaction to police brutality in Oakland last November that ended up shutting down the fifth-largest port in the country overnight. The movement is now calling for a General Strike on May … More The Occupy Movement and the General Strike on #MayDay

Boston Mania: What drives us, professionals and amateurs alike, to run a marathon?

April 15, 2012

A statue of Greek soldier Pheidippides on Marathon Road northeast of Athens. According to legend, Pheidippides died after a 26.2-mile run from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persian invaders. Image from Creative Commons. BY CLAIRE E. RASMUSSENAssociate professor of political science and international relations at the University of … More Boston Mania: What drives us, professionals and amateurs alike, to run a marathon?

"Reality is alright, it’s just messy and weird": An interview with Ian Bogost on videogames, social awareness, and the future of gaming

January 18, 2012

“Will innocents be caught in the cross-fire? Oh, yes. But when your secret weapon is a random act of kindness, it’s only cruel to be kind to other players….” Cruel 2 B Kind is an experimental game by Ian Bogost and Jane McGonigal. Here, Bogost, author of How to Do Things With Videogames, answers questions … More "Reality is alright, it’s just messy and weird": An interview with Ian Bogost on videogames, social awareness, and the future of gaming

[Wired] The Curse of Cow Clicker: How a Cheeky Satire Became a Videogame Hit

December 21, 2011

From Wired‘s feature on author Ian Bogost (How to Do Things With Videogames and Alien Phenomenology): You work for the Transportation Security Administration, manning the x-ray machine at a local airport. Your day begins easily enough, quickly scanning passengers’ luggage and bodies and waving them through. But after a few minutes, you get an alert—shirts … More [Wired] The Curse of Cow Clicker: How a Cheeky Satire Became a Videogame Hit

Feature documentary film PINK RIBBONS, INC. seeks a new way to talk about breast cancer

September 29, 2011

Last October, author Samantha King (Pink Ribbons, Inc.) wrote a blog post for us about the ways in which breast-cancer marketing has now become a year-round industry (What’s next — Pink Cigarettes for the Cure?, Oct. 2010). This year, Pink Ribbons, Inc., has become a feature documentary film by award-winning Quebec filmmaker Léa Pool. The … More Feature documentary film PINK RIBBONS, INC. seeks a new way to talk about breast cancer

With veganism and animal-rights causes, a middle ground is always best.

August 31, 2011

BY KATHY RUDYAssociate professor of ethics and women’s studies at Duke University Ellen DeGeneres recently launched a national campaign endorsing veganism, and I give her a lot of credit. Along with people like Jonathan Safran Foer and many other media stars, she is putting the question of eating meat on the table as a significant … More With veganism and animal-rights causes, a middle ground is always best.

Reflecting upon Mary McLeod Bethune in light of this weekend’s MLK Jr. Memorial debut.

August 24, 2011

Construction photo of “Mountain of Despair” with Jefferson dome in background. Photo taken Aug. 11th, 2011, in advance of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial debut on Aug. 28th, the 48th anniversary of the day King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Photo by the author. BY KELLY QUINN Quadrant fellow and assistant … More Reflecting upon Mary McLeod Bethune in light of this weekend’s MLK Jr. Memorial debut.

On accessories: Why do we study the habits of dress, and what happens when it gets taken to an entirely new level (as with Shanghai)?

July 6, 2011

Should anyone think that pondering over the significance of clothes is a frivolous practice, let us read what William James had to write about them: “The old saying that the human person is composed of three parts — soul, body, and clothes — is more than a joke. We […] appropriate our clothes and identify … More On accessories: Why do we study the habits of dress, and what happens when it gets taken to an entirely new level (as with Shanghai)?