Workshop: Research Methods in Media and Material Culture

What is material culture, and what can it teach those of us working on media and
visual culture? To answer these questions, this workshop engages recent theoretical
paradigms including “thing theory,” actor-network theory, and new media theory.
Addressing such concepts as plasticity, modularity, and detritus, we will explore the
status of materiality more generally in the analysis of (audio)visual forms. How, we ask,
can conceptions of the material realm across diverse arenas, from Marxism to psychoanalysis
and beyond, provide useful frameworks for understanding the political and aesthetic
dimensions of the sensorium today. To help orient participants, a short reading selection
will be available as photo copy by the end of the week before.

Konferenzraum des Kollegs, Pohligstr. 1, 50969 Köln