Reading about fossils

Posted on March 4, 2011 by stuartelden

I’ve been spending the last week, as expected, reading about fossils. This has taken me through Aristotle, Georgius Agricola, Leonardo da Vinci, Robert Hooke, Niels Stensen, Benoît de Maillet, Leibniz, Buffon, Voltaire, James Hutton, Georges Cuvier, Kant and Charles Lyell. Some of these I’ve read; all I’ve read about. Interestingly, the translation of Agricola’s De re metallica was by US President and ex-mining engineer Herbert Hoover and his wife.

The notes file is growing, and the reading list too. There are lots of good works out there that tell parts of the story I’m interested in – for example, Martin Rudwick’s Bursting the Limits of Time: The Reconstruction of Geohistory in the Age of Revolution and his Worlds before Adam: the Reconstruction of Geohistory in the Age of Reform – and I’m clear that I’m not trying to offer a history of ideas with this project. Rather, I’m interested in how the challenge of fossils was worked through in terms of beliefs about the world at different times. I also went back and re-read sections of Foucault’s The Order of Things which has some discussion of fossils.

A few other things have been taking up some time: writing a response to two reader reports on The Birth of Territory; preparing my lectures next week in Sydney on that book; and enjoying Canberra and its cycle paths. A full circuit of Lake Burley Griffin is about 18 miles, so makes for a good ride in the early evening.

Posted in Cycling, Fossils, Gottfried Leibniz, Immanuel Kant, Michel Foucault, The Birth of Territory | Leave a comment

Why blog? (2)

Posted on March 4, 2011 by stuartelden

The discussion on crit-geog-forum continues, with a long list of blogs by geographers and others with geographical content or relevance. One reason I didn’t mention, since it doesn’t apply to me, but which has come up, is that a lot of people use blogs as collaborative ventures or workspaces. On this topic, if you are in Dublin today, you could check out this workshop. There have also been a couple of interesting posts by people whose blogs I read.

At Place Hacking Bradley L. Garratt reflects on his time in London, and what it’s meant for him. Along the way he talks about his purpose in setting up the blog and where it has taken him. Amazing photos and stories.

At Critical Animal, Scu discusses the potential backlash against blogs, and links to my earlier post and one by Tim Morton (Eileen Joy’s comments there are worth reading too). Scu characterises the anti-blog attitude under five main categories:

There seems to be a cluster of ‘arguments’, (1) It trades off with doing the ‘real’ work of being a scholar. (2) It is too vague, too hasty, too half-formed, too unpolished. (3) It is time consuming. (4) It will trip me/you up in getting hired/tenured/published/loved/respected/etc. (5) People and movements use blogging in order to get hired/tenured/published/loved/respected/etc. that are fundamentally inauthentic or ephemeral.

In my case: 1) not for me; 2) possibly, but it’s a different medium, and we are all experimenting with how best to use it – these ‘weaknesses’ are also its strengths; 3) maybe, but not as much as I thought, and I find it saves time in other ways; 4) I haven’t noticed any negative effects on me; 5) for others to judge.

Just one thought about this question of time – “I don’t have the time”; “I don’t know how you find the time”; “it’s just a waste of time”; “I have more important things to do with my time” – we all have the same amount of time, we’ve just made different choices, or had them imposed upon us, in terms of how we use it.

Posted in Conferences, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Harman on editing, etc.

Posted on March 4, 2011 by stuartelden

Graham Harman provides an interesting advice post on writing, editing and goal-setting.

Posted in Graham Harman, Publishing | Leave a comment

LSE director resigns

Posted on March 3, 2011 by stuartelden

Press release and statement here – this has been previously linked to by Clive Barnett and others. The Guardian reports on this here.

Posted in Politics, Universities | Leave a comment

Professor of Human Geography at Durham

Posted on March 3, 2011 by stuartelden

The Department of Geography, top-ranked in RAE2008, seeks to appoint a Professor of Human Geography to complement and extend its existing academic strengths. Applications are welcomed from outstanding researchers from within or beyond the discipline. The post-holder will be expected to undertake research at the forefront of knowledge in their field, to contribute to research-led education at undergraduate and postgraduate level, to provide academic leadership, and to contribute to Departmental management.
 
For further information and for an informal discussion contact the Head of Department, Professor Joe Painter, by email: j.m.painter@durham.ac.uk or telephone: +44 (0)191 334 1906.

Further details here.

Posted in Universities | Leave a comment

Driver on Mapping the ‘MidEast’

Posted on March 3, 2011 by stuartelden

In the History Workshop Journal, Felix Driver discusses the cartographies of media representations of the recent uprisings and protests.

Posted in Politics, Territory | Leave a comment

The Geospatial Revolution

Posted on March 3, 2011 by stuartelden

If you are interested in the interrelation of universities, the military and developments in geospatial technology… First, watch the glossy video produced by Penn State

then go to Open Geography and read Jeremy Crampton’s critique.

Posted in Jeremy Crampton, Politics, Universities | Leave a comment

Why blog?

Posted on March 3, 2011 by stuartelden

A recent discussion on crit-geog-forum, which began with a request for other blogs by geographers, had the question raised as to why anyone bothered with blogs? The commentator said that “it seems to add nothing, but gears and joys itself on self-serving romance”. I sent this reply, slightly edited, to the list.

As a notebook, as previous respondent David Murakami Wood suggested; as a noticeboard (I post/link to quite a lot of stuff that I think might be of interest); as a place where I can say things that I probably wouldn’t work up into publications, but which I think are interesting nonetheless; to publicise my own work, talks, etc.; as place that I can try out ideas and sometimes get feedback… the reasons go on.

Yes, much of it is personal (though there is much I don’t write about); and might be seen as self-serving – but then so are personal websites. Nobody forces you to read them. But it’s my blog, was set up for my own reasons, and the readership comes as an additional and pleasant second to that. I never expected to get regular readers, and have been quite surprised at the readership, both in terms of numbers, but also from where in the world – over 100 countries on the last count. Nothing I’ve written in more conventional media has come close to that.

My own blog aside, I completely disagree that they ‘add nothing’. I have a long list of blogs in google reader (now that bloglines is defunct), and find them invaluable as a source of information, provocation and inspiration. I now find them far more useful than email discussion lists.

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Protevi interviews Parikka on Insect Media

Posted on March 2, 2011 by stuartelden

Over at APPS, John Protevi interviews Jussi Parikka about his new book Insect Media. Among other things, the interview touches upon the curious rehabilitation of Jakob von Uexküll.

Posted in Jakob von Uexküll | Leave a comment

Quentin Skinner in Newcastle

Posted on March 2, 2011 by stuartelden

Medieval and Early Modern Studies Keynote Lecture Series 

Quentin Skinner, ‘A Genealogy of Liberty’

University of Newcastle, UK, Tuesday 8th March, 5pm, Room G21/22 of the Devonshire Building

Abstract: Among contemporary political theorists, the idea of individual liberty is generally defined in negative terms as absence of interference.  This lecture argues that, if the concept is instead approached genealogically, this orthodoxy begins to appear in need of qualification and perhaps abandonment.  The genealogy traced in the lecture is shown to carry three specific implications, each of which is discussed in turn.  The first is that the concept of interference is of much greater complexity than is often allowed, and gives rise to a number of incommensurable theories of negative liberty.  The second is that it may be misleading to assume that liberty can be defined only in negative terms.  Finally, even if we accept that liberty is a negative concept, it remains unclear that negative liberty is best understood as absence of interference.

Posted in Conferences, Quentin Skinnner | 5 Comments