099: Karen Barad (dOCUMENTA)

While visting dOCUMENTA in Kassel, Germany this weekend I came across this beautifully published essay by Karen Barad – author of Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. The essay is entitled ‘What is the measure of nothingness? Infinity, Virtuality, Justice’ and consists of an attempt to emphasize and conceptualize the importance of (the Copenhagen interpretation of) quantum theory – related to notions such as measurements as ‘intra-actions’, indeterminacy, vacuum fluctuations, Bohr’s principle of complementarity – for a speculative philosophy that, interestingly, positions itself somewhere between OOO and SR. Being concerned with ‘the very nature of nature’ (p. 6) Barad defines objects or phenomena as ‘contingent configurations of mattering’ (p. 7) – which indicates that she is concerned with developing an ontology of becoming, or one that makes the insight that ‘there are no pre-existing individual objects with determinate boundaries that precede some interaction’ (p. 6) into its primordial commitment.

Debate: Ecosophical Activism – Between Micropolitics and Mesopolitics

This sounds great: a debate – organized by Rotterdam Vakmanstad – between Deleuzian Henk Oosterling (Erasmus University) and philosopher of science/Whiteheadian Isabelle Stengers (University of Brussels) chaired by neo-Leibnizian Sjoerd van Tuinen (Erasmus University) on ecophilosophy, micro-politics and activism. The event, entitled ‘Ecosophical Activism: Between Micropolitics and Mesopolitics’ – takes place on May 31, 20:00 – … at De Unie, Rotterdam.
For more information click here.

Call for papers: The Making of the Humanities III

There is a call for papers for the third conference on the history and making of the humanities – which will take place at the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome from 1 – 3 November. Confirmed keynote speakers include Lorraine Daston and John Joseph.

From the website:
The theme of the meeting in 2012 will be The Making of the Modern Humanities, focusing on the period 1850-2000, as well as four general panel themes that across all periods (see below). Topics include all aspects of the history of philology, linguistics, literary studies, musicology, historiography, art history, theatre studies, (new) media studies and other humanities disciplines, with an emphasis on their mutual influences, and their interaction with the other sciences.

Papers can be submitted to the general theme or to one of the panels. Please indicate on your abstract whether you want your paper to be considered for the general theme or for one of the panels or both. Send your abstract of maximally 400 words to: HistoryHumanities@gmail.com Deadline for abstract submissions: 1 June 2012