#Social Theory and Urban Studies

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Metropolitanism

The philosophy of metropolitanism centers around the unique social, cultural, and economic dynamics of metropolitan (urban) areas and examines how these environments shape human experience, social structures, and values. Metropolitanism views cities as hubs of diversity, innovation, and complex social interactions, which stand in contrast to more traditional or rural ways of life.

Key Themes in Metropolitanism

Urban Identity and Cosmopolitanism: Metropolitanism often emphasizes cosmopolitan values, where individuals are exposed to a range of cultures, ideas, and lifestyles. Cities foster a sense of open-mindedness and adaptability, as people encounter diversity and interact with individuals from various backgrounds.

Collective and Individual Identity: In metropolitan environments, there is often a tension between collective urban identity (e.g., being a New Yorker, Londoner) and the individual’s quest for uniqueness. City life often supports personal expression while also creating a shared cultural experience within neighborhoods, workplaces, or social circles.

Innovation and Progress: Cities are frequently seen as engines of progress and change. The metropolitan lifestyle values innovation and entrepreneurship, spurred by dense social and economic networks that encourage rapid exchange of ideas, resources, and opportunities.

Alienation and Anonymity: Metropolitanism also considers the challenges of urban life, such as alienation, stress, and a sense of disconnection, despite being surrounded by people. Some argue that cities can lead to impersonal relationships, as individuals are constantly moving and adapting to the fast pace of urban life.

Social Complexity and Hierarchies: Cities create complex social structures, with different socioeconomic classes, professional networks, and communities. Metropolitanism examines how these layers contribute to both opportunity and inequality, and how urban policies impact issues like gentrification, housing, and public services.

Public Space and Community: The philosophy of metropolitanism also considers the importance of public spaces—parks, squares, and cultural sites—in fostering social cohesion and community life. These spaces serve as places for connection, recreation, and political expression, balancing the private and public spheres in dense urban landscapes.

Environmental and Sustainability Concerns: Urban environments are increasingly under scrutiny for their impact on the natural environment, and metropolitanism encompasses discussions on sustainable city planning, green spaces, and the need for eco-friendly solutions to address issues like pollution, traffic, and energy use.

Philosophical Perspectives on Metropolitanism

Urbanism and the Human Condition: Thinkers like Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin have explored how city life affects the individual’s psyche, noting that the sensory overload and rapid pace of cities influence people’s ways of thinking and relating to one another.

Metropolitanism and Social Theory: Urban theorists, such as Henri Lefebvre, emphasize the “right to the city,” which argues that city residents should have a say in urban planning and access to its resources, promoting an ethical perspective on urban living.

Globalization and Cultural Exchange: Cities are often at the forefront of globalization, and metropolitanism reflects this interconnectedness, where metropolitan areas serve as cultural and economic nodes in a global network. This raises questions about cultural preservation, assimilation, and the impacts of international influence on local customs.

Critiques of Urban Capitalism: Many theorists critique the capitalist structures prevalent in urban centers, arguing that metropolitan areas often become sites of economic disparity, where wealth and poverty are starkly juxtaposed. Scholars like David Harvey analyze how urbanization serves capitalistic interests, often prioritizing profit over the welfare of city dwellers.

Postmodern Urbanism: Postmodernist thinkers suggest that metropolitan life challenges traditional norms and hierarchies, giving rise to new forms of community, identity, and cultural expression. The postmodern city is seen as a space of fragmentation but also of new opportunities for redefining social relations.

Influence and Application of Metropolitanism

Metropolitanism has practical implications in urban planning, sociology, and environmental policy. It influences how cities are designed, addressing issues of accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. Additionally, metropolitanism shapes cultural policy and education, as cities are hubs for art, music, and intellectual exchange. It also informs political theory, with cities often being centers for social movements and advocacy for issues like civil rights, environmentalism, and economic equality.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Lois Beckett at The Guardian:

Attacks targeting American public schools over LGBTQ+ rights and education about race and racism cost those schools an estimated $3.2bn in the 2023-24 school year, according to a new report by education professors from four major American universities. The study is believed to be the first attempt to quantify the financial impact of rightwing political campaigns targeting school districts and school boards across the US. In the wake of the pandemic, these campaigns first attempted to restrict how American schools educate students about racism, and then increasingly shifted to spreading fear among parents about schools’ policies about transgender students and LGBTQ+ rights.

Researchers from UCLA, UT Austin, UC Riverside and American University surveyed 467 public school superintendents across 46 US states, asking them about the direct and indirect costs of dealing with these volatile campaigns. Those costs included everything from out-of-pocket payments to hire to lawyers or additional security, to the staff member hours devoted to responding to disinformation on social media, addressing parent concerns and replying to voluminous public records requests focused on the district’s teachings on racism, gender and sexuality. The campaigns that focused on public schools’ policies about transgender students often included lurid false claims about schools trying to change students’ gender or “indoctrinating” them into becoming gay. This disinformation sparked harassment and threats against individual teachers, school board members and administrators, with some of the fury coming from within local communities, and even more angry calls, emails and social media posts flooding in from conservative media viewers across the country.

In addition to the financial costs of responding to these targeted campaigns, the study revealed other dynamics, the researchers said. “The attack on public officials as pedophiles was one I heard again and again, from people across extremely different parts of the country: rural, urban, suburban. It speaks to the way that this really is a nationalized conflict campaign,” said John Rogers, an education professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the lead author of the study. The frequency with which both school board members and school superintendents were “being called out as sexual predators – it was really frightening”, Rogers said. Superintendents from across the country told the researchers how these culture battles had affected their schools, and cut into resources they would have preferred to spend on education.

[...] While disagreement, debate and dealing with angry parents are a normal part of local public school administration, the researchers noted, the political campaigns that schools have faced in recent years have been anything but normal. Many of them have been driven by “a small number of active individuals on social media or at school board meetings”, and fueled by misinformation. The school-focused campaigns, which started with claims that elementary and middle schools were harming white students by teaching critical race theory and later shifted to attacks on schools’ policies for transgender students, were nationally organized, with “common talking points” that could be traced back to conservative foundations and rightwing legal organizations, and were intensely amplified by rightwing media coverage, Rogers said.

Public schools across the US burned up nearly $3.2BN worth of money fending off right-wing culture war items such as book bans, anti-LGBTQ+ extremism, anti-student inclusion, and anti-racial equity policies.

See Also:

The Advocate: U.S. public schools lost $3.2 billion fighting conservative culture wars: report

[no-saints-no-scholars]

Total Drama social media au

Inspired by this post!

Cody replies to every single one of Gwen's tweets. Every single one. He also posts screenshots of his A+ ranks on League.

Heather shills mlms (multi-level marketing schemes)

Katie and Sadie also shill mlms (men loving men.)

Trent tweets like Hozier. He posts about music and theory and vagues about the love of his life (Gwen). His videos of experimental midwest emo guitar tracks get nearly no interaction, but his ONE Ed Sheeran cover blows up. He hates it.

Bridgette posts links to animal activism groups/charities for humanitarian crises, beach photos, and photos of her training for surf competitions- she ended up getting into the competitive scene after TDI.

Geoff's profile is parties, surfing, and shower thoughts. He has an entire saga of posts showcasing him trying to domesticate a dolphin. When he posts about Bridgette (OFTEN) he exclusively refers to her as "the wifey", and "the homey in matrimoney" (he can't spell.)

DJ exclusively posts casual pics with friends and photos of Bunny. His mom follows him and likes every one. He has no idea how to be a Twitter celebrity. He stays in his lane. He is unbothered. Everyone else wishes they were him.

Courtney's account is highly curated, with aesthetic fall photos of big scarves and studying at the library, but her replies and appearances on the others' accounts are UNHINGED.

Gwen's account is a mashup of vibey photos, music, shitposting, and photographic evidence of her committing crimes. You'd think it'd be Duncan, but Gwen posts pics of her urban exploring- haunted buildings, abandoned churches, and anywhere with a "trespassers will be prosecuted" sign.

Duncan's pfp is his fucking mugshot

His profile is chaotic. He posts photos from road trips on his bike, of Brittany (he calls her his daughter), and Courtney. There's multiple videos of him committing felonies. He says every unfiltered thing he feels like posting. He has been banned twice. He posts "slay" and it gets 20k likes.

[vilevexedvixen]

AU Jonathan Crane

In our AU, the presence of metahumans has shifted the balance of power away from corporate entities (such as Lex Corp and WayneTech) and, subsequently, the state (as the two are deeply intwined, especially in the US). Leading to what governing bodies remain looking for more covert means of shifting power back in their favour. Specifically in a way that can be chalked up to spontaneous social phenomena or other thing not directly tied to state intervention.

Seeing Crane's experiments and functional prototype of distilled fear, they see promise in it as a non-lethal and undetectable (beyond the knock-on physiological effects that coincide with a general fear response after initial exposure; the serum itself degrades quickly) crowd control. They grant him much more funding than he could imagine in exchange for developing his at this point purely academic and therapeutic project to study the psychology of fear without having to subject study participants to unethical psychological torture. (In theory, the rapidly degrading toxin would stimulate the response without needed to do anything traumatic to stimulate it - not necessarily considering the toxin itself as such.)

This version of Crane is born with Urbach-Wiethe disease, which prevents a normal fear response often leading him into misadventure as a kid. Even though he couldn't understand it on a visceral level, he began to understand the very sensible role fear played to keep everyone else safe. He'd try to scare himself, train a pavlovian fear repsonse to avoid things he may encounter that could hurt him. He wasn't senseless and could avoid danger where it was obvious, but that visceral gut feeling being absent was palpable. Motivated to understand fear and its application as a non-lethal way to guide people (typically from danger - though in the case of the crowd control fear toxin project it's him picking the lesser of two evils; either a toxin of his own making he knows will pacify people non-lethally, or whatever heart attack in a jar the DC equivalent of the CIA would concoct that would effectively be a larger scale ice-bullet gun).

Crane is a guest-lecturer at Gotham Uni, having been a guest lecturer in the neurochemistry of fear at various universities across the country. His suspiciously short tenure at each place he went to was starting to leave a trail. They would avoid abducting anyone connected to the universities he lectured at, to limit the trail they might leave. In the AU, I wanted Crane's formal development of FT to be through an MK-Ultra like project. People would go missing and show up days or weeks later (if they showed up again at all; which tended to happen more as time went on as the dose was perfected to be minimally lethal while maximally effective). Sometimes catatonic - other times babbling incoherently about what they saw. What few consistencies to come from their accounts sprouted the urban legend of The Scarecrow. Here, it's the amalgamation of whatever people saw while under FT (technically they saw Crane, but not really and certainly wouldn't be able to recognise him) rather than a persona that Crane personally has.

(On a more general note, most of the rogues in our AU get their names from whatever newspaper stories come up with (with a couple exceptions). I also realise it's ironic to have Crane's introduction be through an MK-Ultra equivalent scheme, given the purpose of MK-Ultra was to investigate potential methods of mind control rather than crowd control, but a. Tetch's "mind control" is actually motor control in this AU, b. mind-altering drug testing took place and I felt FT testing would be a fitting parrallel even if the purpose is slightly different.)

[transmutationisms]

hii, do you have any reading recs for where to start in terms of the history of medicine? thank you so much and i adore reading your succession analysis

if you're new to this subfield i would recommend starting out by just thumbing through the cambridge history of medicine (2006, ed. roy porter). you don't have to read every word in here, but definitely the introduction and any chapters that look particularly relevant to your interests. there are also some medical chapters scattered throughout the cambridge history of science volumes. cambridge volumes are often limited to europe and north america, and they're generally not methodologically daring, so you don't want to get stuck on them forever. but as a starting point, they can help you start to recognise a few influential names in the field, and give you a sense of what the history of medicine 'canon' is & draws from.

after that you can start to get more specific. history of medicine is a bit of a misnomer field in that it contains a few distinct-but-overlapping subject areas: histories of diseases themselves (this will cross into history of biology, paleo-virology, molecular archaeology, genetics, &c); histories of sickness (often drawing from affect theory, disability studies, and history of emotions); histories of medical practice and practitioners (philosophy of health and medicine, labour history, studies of class and discipline formation, military history); histories of public health (broader population thinking, archaeology and anthropology, history of hygiene, history of state formation and biopolitics); histories of medical devices and instruments (history of technology, material history, economic and industrial history). you'll also serve yourself well if you have some sense of specific time periods and places you're interested in—not that i'm telling you to be close-minded, but it just helps if you have some idea of what you're looking for.

you are more than welcome to come back and ask about a more specific sub-topic :-) since you've basically given me free reign, i'll just toss out a few histmed books i've particularly enjoyed, in no particular order:

medicalizing blackness: making racial difference in the atlantic world, 1780–1840, by rana hogarth (2017)

the expressiveness of the body and the divergence of greek and chinese medicine, by shigehisa kuriyama (1999)

doctoring traditions: ayurveda, small technologies, and braided sciences, by projit mukharji (2016)

plague and empire in the early modern mediterranean world: the ottoman experience, 1347–1600, by nukhet varlık (2015)

killing the black body: race, reproduction, and the meaning of liberty, by dorothy roberts (1997)

hearing happiness: deafness cures in history, by jaipreet virdi (2020)

pasteur's empire: bacteriology and politics in france, its colonies, and the world, by aro velmet (2020)

contagion: disease, government, and the 'social question' in nineteenth-century france, by andrew aisenberg (1999)

colonial madness: psychiatry in french north africa, by richard keller (2007)

curing the colonizers: hydrotherapy, climatology, and french colonial spas, by eric t jennings (2006)

ideals of the body: architecture, urbanism, and hygiene in postrevolutionary paris, by sun-young park (2018)

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Amanda Borschel-Dan

Published: Oct 5, 2018

The term “Femi-Nazi” became all too accurate when a trio of academic tricksters participating in an elaborate hoax submitted portions of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” rewritten through a feminist lens to a leading peer-reviewed feminist journal. The satirical paper was accepted this past academic year for publication by Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work.

The sting operation against academic journals became public this week.

In a truncated year-long project aimed at highlighting the alleged influence of extremist dogma and confirmation bias in academia, the trio wrote 20 farcical “scholarly” papers — three of which were based on rewrites of “Mein Kampf” — for leading cultural studies journals. All 20 of the papers were based on “something absurd or deeply unethical, or both,” the authors have said; seven were accepted for publication.

One of the papers, “Our Struggle is My Struggle: Solidarity Feminism as an Intersectional Reply to Neoliberal and Choice,” was written under the alias Maria Gonzalez, PhD, who claimed to be based out of the fictitious Feminist Activist Collective for Truth (FACT).

According to the real-life authors, “The last two-thirds of this paper is based upon a rewriting of roughly 3,600 words of Chapter 12 of Volume 1 of ‘Mein Kampf,’ by Adolf Hitler, though it diverges significantly from the original. This chapter is the one in which Hitler lays out in a multi-point plan which we partially reproduced why the Nazi party is needed and what it requires of its members.”

Hailing from differing countries and fields, the trio of academics is made up of self-proclaimed liberals who claim to want to fix a broken system, not ban the fields of study themselves: Helen Pluckrose, a UK-based English literature and history scholar; James Lindsay, a math PhD; and Peter Boghossian, a professor of philosophy at Portland State University. The project was documented by Australian filmmaker Mike Nayna, who released a viral YouTube video with an authors statement on the project this week.

The scholars targeted high-ranking humanities journals in the niche subjects they label as “grievance studies.” These relatively new fields, which have become popular in the past 50 years with the rise of the civil and women’s rights movements, examine the lives of the historically and traditionally oppressed: women, racial, religious and cultural minorities, and the LGBT community.

With a steep learning curve, the team quickly took six of their initial attempted hoax papers out of circulation, believing they could do better. After adapting their submissions based on peer reviewers’ comments, within a few months, an unheard of seven absurd papers were accepted. Leading the pack was “research” on rape culture at urban dog parks, which was recognized by leading peer-reviewed feminist geography journal Gender, Place, and Culture as “exemplary scholarship.”

It was skeptical media attention after the publication of the dog parks paper which brought the project, initially scheduled for 18 months, to an abrupt end this summer. All papers are available online, as well as the name-redacted comments of the peer reviewers.

According to the trio of scholars, it is likely that another six fictitious papers would have been accepted for publication as their experiment in “reflexive ethnography” within the world of grievance studies progressed.

Is there any idea so outlandish that it won't be published in a Critical/PoMo/Identity/"Theory" journal? Helen Plucrose et al. submitted a dozen hoax papers to find out. https://t.co/TTDLuIQN9p via @areomagazine — Steven Pinker (@sapinker) October 3, 2018

The trio contends that the fields have been infiltrated by radical and intolerant theories. And what better way to prove their point, they figured, than turning to one of the most extreme manifestos in recent history — “Mein Kampf.”

Mathematician Lindsay told The Times of Israel on Thursday, “We decided to try to rewrite something from something old and nasty, and ‘Mein Kampf’ not only is the pinnacle document, it proved accessible for our methods.”

Theological fire and brimstone writing “didn’t transliterate easily,” Lindsay said. However, “much of ‘Mein Kampf’ is an autoethnography.” This style of self-reflective writing is en vogue in the grievance studies’ academic journals and therefore the substitution of feminist or anti-patriarchal terminology for Hitler’s well-known screed was evidently undetectable to the peer reviewers.

According to a comment from the co-editor of the journal, the reviewers were “supportive of the work and noted its potential to generate important dialogue for social workers and feminist scholars.”

A quest to expose ‘sophistry’

In a long co-bylined essay published Tuesday in Aero Magazine, which Pluckrose edits, the trio wrote that during the course of their experiment, “the reviewers’ comments are in many ways more revealing about the state of these fields than the acceptances themselves.”

The team explained their motivations and methodology: “We set out with three basic rules: (1) we’ll focus almost exclusively upon ranked peer-reviewed journals in the field, the higher the better and at the top of their subdisciplines whenever possible; (2) we will not pay to publish any paper; and (3) if we are asked at any point by a journal editor or reviewer (but not a journalist!) if any paper we wrote is an attempted hoax, we will admit it.”

The basis of each paper was “something absurd or deeply unethical (or both) that we wanted to forward or conclude. We then made the existing peer-reviewed literature do our bidding in the attempt to get published in the academic canon,” they wrote.

[ Perpetrators of an elaborate hoax against academic journals (from left) mathematics Ph.D. James Lindsay, UK academic Helen Pluckrose and philosophy professor Peter Boghossian. (courtesy) ]

“This is the primary point of the project: What we just described is not knowledge production; it’s sophistry. That is, it’s a forgery of knowledge that should not be mistaken for the real thing. The biggest difference between us and the scholarship we are studying by emulation is that we know we made things up,” they wrote.

In undertaking the hoax, the use of satire was often employed. According to the authors, every paper “also endeavored to be humorous in at least some small way (and often, big ones).”

The team was so successful that four journals asked the papers’ fictitious authors to become peer reviewers themselves. For “ethical reasons,” they declined.

The proverbial wheels came off after a Twitter account called “New Real Peer Review” sniffed something foul from the Dog Park essay. Soon, local newspapers became suspicious, and eventually, in cooperation with the hoax team, the Wall Street Journal broke the story this week, with an ever-widening international ripple effect and coverage.

Satire as social commentary

It is not the first time scholars have written hoax papers to illustrate a broken academia. While other fields can be equally guilty of publishing unscientific work, gender studies in particular has already been repeatedly flagged as problematic.

After the current hoax experiment became public this week, author and Harvard lecturer Yascha Mounk proclaimed on Twitter that “Three intrepid academics just perpetrated a giant version of the Sokal Hoax… Call it Sokal Squared. The result is hilarious and delightful. It also showcases a serious problem with big parts of academia.”

In 1996, mathematics and physics Prof. Alan David Sokal submitted a nonsensical paper to Duke University’s Social Text journal called “Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity,” in a (successful) experiment illustrating editorial bias and the prevalent incorrect use of scientific terms.

The Sokal hoax was the basis for a May 2017 experiment when two of the current project’s authors, Boghossian and Lindsay, attempted to replicate his success with the publication of a fake paper that claims “that penises conceptually cause climate change.” They write about the experiment in an essay, “The Conceptual Penis as a Social Construct: A Sokal-Style Hoax on Gender Studies,” which discusses the problematic nature of “pay-to-publish” open access journals.

In September 2017 the duo became a trio with the addition of Pluckrose and the new, much more elaborate project was launched.

According to the scholars, the goal of the current project was not to end the study of these niche academic disciplines, rather highlight the intolerant thinking within their lock-step that is infiltrating popular culture.

Asked by The Times of Israel if academic journals in the field of Jewish Studies would also be in their sights, Lindsay answered that the team didn’t fully examine this particular field. “The grievance studies methods are dubious, and I hope [Jewish Studies scholars] don’t take them up,” he said.

“I’ve only looked closely at one paper in Jewish Studies and it seemed to use similar methods but criticized a nasty streak of antisemitism in critical race scholarship,” he wrote via Twitter, citing a paper called, “Critical Whiteness Studies and the ‘Jewish Problem.'”

The cited paper was written in response to the increasingly trendy theory proposed by Critical Whiteness Studies and promoted by young American Jews on college campuses, social media, and even mainstream Jewish media, that Jews are not “white.”

According to the paper’s abstract, “‘whiteness” is used as a critical concept denoting those who enjoy white privilege in American and other Western societies.” Calling a Jew “white,” however, “is more than controversial, for it assimilates the most persecuted minority in European history to the dominant majority, while downgrading the significance of antisemitism.”

The fact that this type of topic itself is being debated within the ivory tower and infiltrating popular culture is not what appears to bother the scholars. Rather, it is the fact that there are few skeptical and critical checks within peer-reviewed journals and that what they consider to be a “kind of blatant corruption” through confirmation bias is pervasive in the fields.

“Politically biased research that rests on highly questionable premises gets legitimized as though it is verifiable knowledge. It then goes on to permeate our culture because professors, activists, and others cite and teach this ever-growing body of ideologically skewed and fallacious scholarship,” writes the team.

“We managed to get seven shoddy, absurd, unethical and politically biased papers into respectable journals in the fields of grievance studies. Does this show that academia is corrupt? Absolutely not. Does it show that all scholars and reviewers in humanities fields which study gender, race, sexuality and weight are corrupt? No,” they write.

[ Perpetrators of an elaborate hoax against academic journals (from left) mathematics Ph.D. James Lindsay, UK academic Helen Pluckrose and philosophy professor Peter Boghossian. (courtesy) ]

However, when a journal publishes — without revisions — a paper written in under six hours by a man which describes “moon meetings” for women in womb rooms with vulva shrines, it might reasonably be thought that something is deeply amiss. When an essay which promotes the pedagogical boon of silencing and chaining “privileged” pupils to the floor to affect “experiential reparations” is taken under serious consideration and given notes for improvement, one might wonder about the Ivory Tower’s foundations.

The authors are now calling upon universities to conduct a thorough review of the grievance study fields “to separate knowledge-producing disciplines and scholars from those generating constructivist sophistry.”

“Research into these areas is crucial, and it must be rigorously conducted and minimize ideological influences,” they write. “The further results on these topics diverge from reality, the greater chance they will hurt those their scholarship is intended to help.”

--

==

Flashback to the days when this was shocking and hard to believe, rather than ordinary and everyday.

[spaceintruderdetector]

This study is a trans-disciplinary and trans-historical investigation into civilian and battlefield contexts in which speaker systems have been utilised by the military-industrial and military-entertainment complexes to apply pressure to mass social groupings and the individuated body. Drawing on authors such as historian/sociologist Michel Foucault, economist Jacques Attali, philosopher Michel Serres, political geographer/urban planner Edward Soja, musician/sonic theorist Steve Goodman, and cultural theorist/urbanist Paul Virilio, this study engages a wide range of texts to orchestrate its arguments. Conducting new strains of viral theory that resonate with architectural, neurological, and political significance, this research provides new and original analysis about the composition of waveformed geography. Ultimately, this study listens to the ways in which the past and current utilisation of sonic, infrasonic, and ultrasonic frequencies as weapons, apparatus for psychological manipulation, and instruments of physiological influence, by industrial, civilian, entertainment, and military organisations, predict future techniques of sociospatialised organisation.

[j2memories]

The New York Times article (April 18th, 2014)

Eternal Life, Thanks to Angels and Abs

By Mike Hale

April 18, 2014

SURREY, British Columbia — The first episode of the scary-monster show “Supernatural,” in which a college student came home and found his girlfriend on the ceiling, roasting like a blond marshmallow, was shown by the WB network on Sept. 13, 2005.

Since then quite a few shows have come and gone — “Breaking Bad,” “Friday Night Lights,” “30 Rock,” “Dexter,” to name a few — but “Supernatural” is still here, now on CW on Tuesday nights. Midway through its ninth demon-stabbing, vampire-decapitating, angel-ganking season, it’s the sixth-longest-running drama currently in prime time — and it’s already been renewed for another season.

How does a show that gets relatively little attention and even less credit in the age of the prime-time drama find itself on a short list with series like “Law & Order: SVU” and “Grey’s Anatomy”? We went to the suburbs of Vancouver, where the 190th episode was being shot, to ask. Here are some possibilities.

It’s about the hair.

Between takes at the seedy-motel location — an actual seedy motel here, about 40 minutes south of Vancouver, just above the American border — several young women trot out and run their fingers through the hair of the stars, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.

“The way my hair is, if I get out of the shower and put a beanie on or something, it just kind of lays,” said Mr. Padalecki, whose leonine tresses are one of the show’s trademarks. “But it doesn’t lay well for the camera, because it’ll cover” — he gestures to his face — “the thing.”

Mr. Ackles, whose laugh is like the crack of the show’s magic Colt revolver, said, “I’m fairly certain that that mop is solely responsible for the 10th-season pickup.”

It’s about the brothers.

Mr. Ackles and Mr. Padalecki play Dean and Sam Winchester, brothers with a family tradition of demon hunting. Mr. Ackles was 26 and Mr. Padalecki 22 when the show began, and they are “Supernatural” — conversations with co-stars, show runners and network and studio presidents always come around to Jensen and Jared, Jared and Jensen.

In the motel parking lot, through endless takes in the February chill, they set the tone, joking with the crew, then discussing with the director how to block a scene in which they’re thrown against their black 1967 Impala by the flick of an angel’s finger.

“At the end of the day we have a very good understanding that a lot of it comes down to he and I, and how we relate to each other on- and off-screen,” Mr. Ackles said. “That was impressed upon us very early on by Eric Kripke,” the show’s creator. “He sat us down the first episode and said, ‘Listen, guys, this begins and ends with you.’ ”

It’s about Joseph Campbell. And masculinity.

Misha Collins plays the naïve but deadly angel Castiel, the Winchesters’ mascot and fellow warrior. He studied social theory at the University of Chicago and worked in the Clinton White House and he’s a very smart man, so we should probably listen: “The show deals with universally appealing mythology story lines, the kind of stuff that Joseph Campbell would be proud to see on television,” he said, “but grounds it in personal relationships.”

“It’s really a show about boys becoming men,” he added. “It’s about manhood and these guys who vacillate between testosterone-infused knife fights and gun battles and then crying on one another’s shoulders, having their intimate brotherhood-of-men moments. And I think that’s something you don’t see that much of on television.”

And angels.

“It used to be about guys on the road hunting urban legends,” Mr. Padalecki said, referring to the first four or five seasons sketched out by Mr. Kripke, who pitched the show as “Route 66” meets “The X-Files.” “And then angels came in,” he added, and that annoyed them. “We’re like: ‘We didn’t sign up for a religious show. I don’t want to make a statement on angels. I came to do “X-Files.” ’ But it’s kept on finding new ground.”

Robert Singer, the series’s longtime show runner, said: “The biggest tipping point was the introduction of angels. It seemed to be a natural place to go once we’d gone so far into demon stories.”

It’s about Netflix.

As with many other shows these days, everyone involved credits online streaming of past seasons for increasing current viewership. “We’ve had a real jump in teenagers who are watching the show,” Mr. Singer said. “They were 5 or 6 when it started, and they didn’t know the show from Adam. The fact that they can go back and see it from the beginning and get themselves invested to watch it now is a big thing.”

It’s about beefcake.

Mr. Padalecki is 6-foot-5, Mr. Ackles is 6 feet, and together they are, as Mr. Padalecki puts it, “400 pounds of dude.” Misha Collins said, “Yeah, I think we would be lying to ourselves if we weren’t admitting that that’s an aspect of this dynamic.”

The Winchesters politely demur. Mr. Padalecki: “As flattering as that is, out of 190 episodes I think I’ve taken my shirt off less than 10 times.” Mr. Ackles: “We probably keep our clothes on more than any other show on this network.”

But what the heck. “If people watch because Jensen’s handsome or they like my hair, and then they say, ‘This is a really cool show, they really put their heart and soul into this and I’ll tune in again,’ fine,” Mr. Padalecki said. “Whatever gets them in the seats, right?”

It’s about the fans.

Whether it’s angels, abs or both, the cast members spend part of every summer break traveling around the world to “Supernatural” fan conventions.

“When we go to São Paulo for a convention and there are 50 people camped out on the hotel doorstep just waiting to get a glimpse of us,” Mr. Collins said, “and when we go into the halls and there are 1,500 or 2,000 people and the screaming will be so deafening we have to cover our ears — it’s like we have this one moment where you can feel like you’re a Beatle. And then you get to go about your normal life the rest of the year.”

Not all fans are content simply to attend conventions. Some of them want to take a hand in the story, and their fan fiction can explore areas mostly untouched on the show, like the latent homoerotic suggestiveness of the Winchesters’ intense relationship. Asked if he reads any of this material, Mr. Ackles said: “I don’t. I know it’s out there, and I’m, I’m — the people that have asked me about it are well aware that I would rather not know about that.”

It’s about humility.

The Winchesters — that is, Mr. Ackles and Mr. Padalecki — are enthusiastic and accommodating interview subjects, seeking out a reporter at every break to talk up their underdog show, finishing each other’s sentences, always agreeing. They reflect their characters, or vice versa: Mr. Ackles is the quiet, watchful older brother, keeping an eye on the eagerly talkative Mr. Padalecki.

Jensen: “We both had strong fathers who instilled a good work ethic in us.”

Jared: “And I think a gratitude for the work. And there’s certainly times — ”

Jensen: “A respect — ”

Jared: “A respect for everybody — ”

Jensen: “And humble.”

Jared: “There have been times when I’ve let myself get overwhelmed with, ‘Oh, I feel so overworked.’ And Ackles has been like: ‘Dude. Remember.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh yeah.’ ”

It’s about the future.

“Supernatural” is projected to hit the 200-episode milestone next season; a pilot for a spinoff series, “Supernatural: Bloodlines,” will be shown April 29. How long can the magic last?

“As long as these numbers keep up, and as long as these guys want to do it, ‘Supernatural’ will stay on the air,” said Mark Pedowitz, president of CW. If he doesn’t keep the promise, there’s a 12-inch angel dagger with his name on it.

Link to the article

[ancient-reveala-1976]

the benefits of positive social capital formations via arts

IntroductionIn recent years, there has been a growing interest in the relationship between positive social capital formations and the arts. Social capital refers to the networks, relationships, and trust that exist within a community, while the arts encompass a wide range of creative expressions that have the power to foster connections and inspire change. By examining the ways in which the arts can contribute to the development of social capital, we can gain insight into the mechanisms through which communities can build resilience, foster cooperation, and promote well-being. This research seeks to demonstrate the tangible benefits that accrue from investing in positive social capital formations via arts-based initiatives, shedding light on the transformative potential of creative expression in strengthening social bonds and enhancing community cohesion.

Understanding Social Capital in the Context of ArtsUnderstanding social capital in the context of arts is crucial for recognizing the intertwined relationship between cultural participation and social cohesion. Social capital, defined as the networks, relationships, and norms that facilitate collective action, can be fostered and strengthened through engagement in artistic endeavors. By participating in arts activities, individuals create bonds with others who share similar interests, forming a sense of community and belonging. These connections can lead to increased trust, reciprocity, and social support within a group, ultimately contributing to the development of positive social capital . Moreover, arts engagement has been shown to bridge social divides, promote diversity, and enhance communication among diverse groups (Dario Castiglione et al., 2008-04-17). Therefore, exploring how the arts can cultivate social capital offers valuable insights into its potential benefits for fostering inclusive and cohesive societies.

The Positive Impact of Social Capital Formations through ArtsThe Positive Impact of Social Capital Formations through Arts lies in its ability to foster cultural heritage, educational value, and promote environmental and social responsibility within a community. Drawing on postmodern cultural theory and the principles of the Triple Bottom Line, arts engagement not only enriches individuals aesthetically but also contributes to the holistic development of society. Postmodern music culture has introduced new concepts and experiences to vocal art, reflecting the societal shifts towards deconstruction and anti-traditional ideologies (Tao Liu, 2018). Moreover, the Triple Bottom Line framework emphasizes the importance of economic, environmental, and social responsibilities for enterprises, highlighting the sustainability and ethical dimensions of social capital formation through arts (Qun Wang, 2016). By integrating these insights, the positive impact of arts in fostering social capital formations is evident in promoting cultural understanding, sustainable practices, and responsible governance, thus enhancing the overall well-being of a community.

Case Studies Demonstrating the Benefits of Positive Social Capital Formations via ArtsThe exploration of case studies reveals the transformative power of positive social capital formations through the arts. Johnson's analysis of cities like Glasgow, Bilbao, Singapore, and Geelong illustrates how the arts can activate individuals, rebuild communities, enliven the polity, aid physical regeneration, and reorient economies, highlighting the instrumental role of the arts in addressing economic and social challenges. By delving into the historical contexts of these cities and their unique approaches to cultural strategies, Johnson emphasizes the importance of sustainable arts agendas that distribute benefits equitably and minimize adverse impacts on urban landscapes. These case studies exemplify how cities, particularly those experiencing economic or social decline, leverage the arts to rejuvenate their societies, foster community engagement, and promote long-term cultural, political, and economic sustainability. Through these examples, the profound impact of positive social capital formations via the arts emerges as a catalyst for urban revitalization and societal transformation.

Implications for Society and Policy RecommendationsThe implications of positive social capital formations through the arts extend beyond individual well-being to influence society at large. As Beacom et al. (cite7) suggest, effective governance strategies are essential in navigating systemic risks that impact sustainable development, with a particular focus on societal transformation processes. Considering the interconnectedness of agents within systems and the homomorphism of systemic risks across various domains, such as migration phenomena, a scientific approach rooted in complexity science is crucial for informing policy decisions. By recognizing the potential for arts-based activities to enhance social capital and foster community cohesion, policymakers can leverage these positive elements to address societal challenges. Policy recommendations should prioritize the integration of arts initiatives into broader social and economic strategies, thereby harnessing the transformative power of creative expression to build resilient and inclusive societies. Informed by empirical evidence and theoretical frameworks, such policy interventions hold promise in promoting sustainable development and mitigating systemic risks associated with social dynamics.

ConclusionIn conclusion, the findings of this study underscore the significant benefits that positive social capital formations through engagement with the arts can bring to communities. By fostering connections, trust, and mutual support among individuals, arts-based social capital can contribute to improved well-being, mental health, and overall quality of life. Through avenues such as community arts programs, festivals, and workshops, individuals are provided with opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and collaboration, which in turn can strengthen social ties and networks. Furthermore, the cultivation of shared values, understanding, and empathy that often result from participation in arts-based activities can help to bridge divides and promote social cohesion within diverse communities. Thus, investing in and supporting the arts as a means of building social capital can have far-reaching positive effects on individuals and communities alike.

[rachellaurengray]

Habitat Theory

Habitat Theory is a concept primarily used in ecology and anthropology to describe how the environment influences the behavior, distribution, and evolution of organisms. While the term can be applied broadly, I'll focus on its use in two main areas: ecological habitat theory and anthropological habitat theory. This is all symbolic to the energy signature.

1. Ecological Habitat Theory

Definition: In ecology, Habitat Theory suggests that the physical environment (or habitat) plays a crucial role in shaping the behavior, distribution, and survival of species. This theory emphasizes how organisms are adapted to specific environmental conditions and how changes in these conditions can impact their populations and interactions.

Key Concepts:

Habitat Selection: Organisms select habitats that meet their needs for food, shelter, and reproduction. This selection is based on both biotic factors (like the presence of predators or competitors) and abiotic factors (like temperature, moisture, and soil type).

Niche Differentiation: Within a habitat, different species may occupy different niches or roles. This differentiation helps reduce competition and allows multiple species to coexist in the same habitat.

Adaptation: Over time, organisms evolve adaptations that make them better suited to their specific habitat. These adaptations can be physical (like camouflage or specialized feeding structures) or behavioral (like migratory patterns or mating rituals).

Habitat Change and Conservation: Changes in the habitat, such as deforestation, climate change, or urbanization, can lead to shifts in species distributions and even extinctions. Conservation efforts often focus on preserving or restoring habitats to protect biodiversity.

2. Anthropological Habitat Theory

Definition: In anthropology, Habitat Theory is used to understand how human cultures interact with their environments. This theory examines how the physical and social environment influences human behavior, social organization, and cultural practices.

Key Concepts:

Environmental Determinism: This older concept suggests that the physical environment shapes human cultures and behaviors. While this idea has been criticized for being overly simplistic, it highlights the importance of environmental factors in shaping societies.

Cultural Adaptation: Humans adapt to their environments through technology, social structures, and cultural practices. For example, the development of agriculture allowed societies to thrive in various environments, leading to the rise of complex civilizations.

Resource Utilization: How cultures use and manage resources is influenced by their environment. For example, societies in arid regions may develop irrigation techniques, while those in temperate regions might focus on hunting and gathering or agriculture.

Human-Environment Interaction: The relationship between humans and their environment is dynamic. Human activities can alter landscapes, and environmental changes can, in turn, affect human societies. Understanding this interaction is crucial for sustainable development and addressing environmental challenges.

Applications:

Ecology: Habitat Theory helps ecologists understand species distributions, behaviors, and conservation needs. It informs habitat management practices and restoration projects.

Anthropology: In anthropology, it provides insights into how human societies adapt to and modify their environments, influencing everything from settlement patterns to economic systems.

In summary, Habitat Theory across different disciplines emphasizes the importance of the environment in shaping the behavior, distribution, and evolution of organisms, whether they are plants, animals, or humans. Understanding these interactions helps in conservation efforts, resource management, and the study of human cultures.

[shamandrummer]

168 New Nazca Geoglyphs Discovered

More than 100 new designs discovered in and around Peru's Nazca plain and surrounding areas could bring new information to light about the ancient artworks that have intrigued scientists and visitors for decades. Following two years of field surveys with aerial photos and drones, Peruvian and Japanese researches from Yamagata University reported the discovery of 168 new designs at the Unesco World Heritage site on Peru's southern Pacific coast.

The geoglyphs, huge figures carved into the South American desert, date back more than 2,000 years and depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. Jorge Olano, head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, said the newly discovered figures averaged between 2 and 6 meters (6.56 to 19.7ft) in length.

The purpose of the Nazca Lines, which could only be seen from the air, remains a mystery. These new findings, however, are smaller and can be seen from the ground. The figures, iconic vestiges of Peru's rich history, are about a three-hour drive from the capital, Lima. Researchers had already discovered 190 figures in the area since 2004. But the vastness of the terrain they cover has complicated efforts to study and conserve the heritage site.

Yamagata University said the research will be used in artificial intelligence-based surveys to help inform the lines' preservation. Studies from the university in collaboration with Peru's government have helped delineate and protect the area, which is facing threats from urban and economic developments. Some geoglyphs are in danger of being destroyed due to the recent expansion of mining-related workshops in the archaeological park.

Anthropologists, ethnologists, and archaeologists have studied the ancient Nazca culture to try to determine the purpose of the lines and figures. One hypothesis is that the Nazca people created them to be seen by deities in the sky. Another theory is related to astronomy and cosmology, as has been common in monuments of other ancient cultures: the lines were intended to act as a kind of observatory, to point to the places on the distant horizon where the sun and other celestial bodies rose or set at the solstices.

Other theories were that the geometric lines could indicate water flow or irrigation schemes, or be a part of rituals to "summon" water. The spiders, birds, and plants may be fertility symbols. It also has been theorized that the lines could act as an astronomical calendar, as proved by the presence of radial centers aligned along the directions of winter solstice and equinox sunset. Researchers believe that the geoglyphs were the venues of events linked to the agriculture calendar. These also served to strengthen social cohesion among various groups of pilgrims, sharing common ancestors and religious beliefs.

[illeaadante]

Concept: the Alien Legendarium

We (the people in the Humans are Weird fandom) have touched on humans love of story and storytelling despite medium, but what I don't think we've really gone into is just how much.

And especially stories from other cultures. Every kid I knew growing up went through a(t least) a phase of obsession over different mythologies. I myself have a deep love of all fairytales.

So, maybe Aliens would be surprised at how much we love stories and how many stories we tell and retell, especially to them. What if other alien cultures didn't share their stories? Their histories, sure, that's necessary for politics and stuff, but what if they never thought to be interested in each other's myths or religions.

We all know that would never fly with humans. The first time someone caught a whiff of a culture's founding myth or creation story there would be at least a small, dedicated group of humans ready to ferret out every version they could get their little raccoon hands on.

Even more interesting if an alien culture doesn't seem to have any myths, legends, or urban legends. I honestly can't imagine a society without things like local ghost stories or religious conspiracy theories, so seeing one, or at least one that appears to not have any of those things, would be fascinating.

Of course, my definition of legend is very broad, so, for instance, it would be incredibly funny for an alien to come up against some of the common social myths. (The first alien to take an exam with a bunch of humans and hear "Y'know that if someone dies during an exam, everyone else gets an A. So, who's takin' one for the team?" definitely almost has a heart attack.) And, and! the aliens know that plenty of humans are alien/monster fuckers, but they're absolutely flabbergasted at the idea that the humans want to fuck their monsters??? Like, the ones from their mythologies??? How did you even know what a Xin'krakx is much less what it looks like?

I'm digressing a bit. Think of how strange humans would seem though, if aliens suddenly had to figure out how to deal with converts to their religions? They go out to see a movie and it's a human retelling of their creation myth that most of them barely know, so how did the human know about it?

And then! The aliens start hearing their own stories, songs written about their folk heroes and legendary kings, seeing artwork and religious writings hundreds of light years away from their home. How did it get there? The humans liked it. Your culture's creation myth is now written down in this beautifully illuminated and hand bound leather tome in both a human language and your native language.

Imagine the confusion.

Imagine the culture clash.

Imagine the space sjws who are convinced that making a short film based on a myth from an alien culture is appropriative, despite the people from the culture in question having no problem with it other than being perplexed at why the humans care about heroes that aren't human or otherwise from earth and from their own stories.

And of course, humans being humans, we would do what we do and collect all of these myths in one place. I can imagine that each alien culture would have at least one volume of legends translated into a human language each that are constantly getting new additions when the researchers resurface. The Aarne-Thompson-Uther multilingual folktale database expands rapidly as well as any cryptid compendiums. Children start going through Andromeda-6 and Corscal-14 mythology phases as well as greek or egyptian or japanese or aztec.

And we do what we also do, and we mix up those stories. We retell them and mash them together regardless of cultural origin. We tell them and retell them and many of us dedicate our lives to studying and learning about them and what they can tell us about the perceptions of the early culture and their values and experiences.

Idk, I just think it'd be interesting.

[fabiansteinhauer]

Niko Munz

"My research interests lie in late medieval and early modern art, spanning Germany, the Low Countries, France, Italy and England. My current research project, entitled 'Image Rights', looks at the legal resonances of late medieval facial representation. It seeks to prove that pre-modern ‘representation’ had a double meaning largely forgotten by modern scholarship: the classic symbolic operation of one thing replacing another (in writing, pictures, etc.); but also the juridical dimension of substitution binding the exchanged components together legally.

Images of individuals have had a long history of lawful significance, dating to the Roman ‘right to representations’. Painted portraits, however, emerged only c. 1350 and were used initially for subjects with legitimate claims to portrayals (like monarchs). My focus is on the relatively neglected early instances of painted facial representation in German-speaking regions. The new portrait genre prospered in German free imperial cities with perhaps greater intensity than in any other urban environment. From the late 1300s, German law also underwent dramatic transformations which reshaped the individual’s legal autonomy. For the image-commissioning population—often educated or actively involved in law—and for artists alike, the new portrait genre established itself within a web of rights, controls, and official capacities. My research therefore takes into consideration the various active legal-visual dimensions across material culture (seals, letters, coins) to conceptualise the early portrait as a complex visual sign, uniting text, insignia and figure.

My PhD thesis, 'From Shrine to Room: An Interpretation of the House Interior in Early Netherlandish Panel Painting c.1400-1450' (2021), looks at the introduction of the 'realistic' domestic interior into northern painting. Closely analysing composition and form, reception, media, material culture, and the motivations and influences of various religious and social contexts, it interrogates the moment painters gave the religious image an earthly setting. My case studies range from late medieval pre-Eyckian painting’s ‘micro-architectural’ tendencies to the mid-15th-century emergence of the ‘milieu portrait’ in Petrus Christus’ oeuvre; when pictorial background was converted into social background. These developments help us to understand the emergence of the interior scene, that significant genre, which continues to serve multiple purposes in image-making right up to the present day.

As well as continuing to publish 17th-century primary materials relating to the history of the royal collection––most recently, on Artemisia Gentileschi's time in England––I work on a long-term collaborative digital project on Charles I, cited below. It provides a 3D reconstruction of several rooms at Whitehall Palace c. 1639 and republishes the collection inventories online, tracing the locations of many significant early modern paintings previously thought lost. I also have a strong interest in the historical theory and historiography of art and am currently preparing a publication on early Renaissance pictorial space."

Geschichte und Theorie des Scheidens, d.h. einer Trennung, die mit Assoziation und Austausch einhergeht: Niko Munz arbeitet dazu, Niko Munz muss nach Frankfurt eingeladen werden.

[scoobydoofenshmirtz]

Sam Majors Poll Part 2-Wildcard edition

This is a follow-up poll to one I'm running about what you think Sam majored in at Stanford. The first part featured the most popular majors for pre-law students. This part features miscellaneous other majors. I only included majors offered at Stanford when Sam attended (so no business). Also for the sake of polls having limited options, I grouped certain majors in similar disciplines together marked with *. If you choose one of these options, please share if you have any more specific thoughts. Don't forget to reblog and lmk if you have any other headcanons for Sam majors! I've also put an explanation and further info for some of these majors under the cut in case anyone is unfamiliar with them.

Thank you @orphicnatural @castielsupernatural @wooobejeweled and @flyingfish1 for your suggestions!

More information about majors under the cut:

Definitions are taken from the current version of Stanford's website. Other info is from the 2002 Stanford website (when Sam would have started college.

Classics-Classics focuses on the literature and material culture of ancient Greece and Rome, including Greek and Latin language, literature, philosophy, history, art, and archaeology.

Linguistics-The mission of the undergraduate program in Linguistics is to provide students with basic knowledge in the principal areas of linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics) and the skills to do more advanced work in these subfields.

Archaelogy-Archaeology is the study of the past through its material remains that survive into the present. Archaeology is a discipline that offers direct access to the experiences of a wide range of people in numerous cultures across the globe. Increasingly, archaeology bridges past and present societies through the study of the human heritage and its role in contemporary societies.

Anthropology-Anthropology is devoted to the study of human beings and human societies as they exist across time and space.

International Relations-The undergraduate program in International Relations is an interdisciplinary undergraduate major allowing students to explore how global, regional and domestic factors influence relations between actors on the world stage.

Urban Studies-Combines academic approaches with real-world experience to understand cities, the influence of physical environment and how to address seemingly intractable social problems.

Feminist studies-Feminist Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program investigating the significance of gender in all areas of human life. Feminist analysis is based on the assumption that gender is a crucial factor in the organization of our personal lives and our social institutions. It focuses on how gender differences and gender inequality are created and perpetuated. The courses offered by the program use feminist perspectives to expand and reevaluate the assumptions at work in traditional disciplines in the study of individuals, cultures, social institutions, policy, and other areas of scholarly inquiry. (taken from the 2002 website since the name has changed)

Arts majors available at Stanford when Sam attended:

Art (covers art history and studio art)

Drama (requires specialization in acting, directing, playwriting/dramaturgy, design, technical production/stage management, dance, or performance theory and cultural studies)

Music (covers theory, history, and instrumental or vocal performance)

Foreign languages available at Stanford when Sam attended:

Asian languages (requires both Chinese and Japanese)

French

Italian

German studies

Slavic Languages and Literatures (Russian language and literature or Russian language, culture, and history)

Spanish and Portuguese (covers both languages)

Other society and culture humanities majors available at Stanford when Sam attended:

African and Afro-American studies

American studies

Comparative studies in race and ethnicity (Asian American and Chicano/a studies both offered)

Latin American studies

East Asian studies

Native American Studies

Jewish studies

STEM Majors available at Stanford when Sam attended:

Geological and Environmental Sciences

Geophysics

Petroleum Engineering

Earth Systems

Chemical Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Computer Science

Electrical Engineering

Management Science and Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Product Design

Aeronautics and Astronautics

Computer Systems Engineering

Biological Sciences

Chemistry

Mathematics

Physics

Human biology

Science, technology, and society

[aioleis]

Arcades Project

Das Passagen-Werk or Arcades Project was an unfinished project of German philosopher and cultural critic Walter Benjamin, written between 1927 and his death in 1940.

An enormous collection of writings on the city life of Paris in the 19th century, it was especially concerned with Paris' iron-and-glass covered "arcades" (known in French as the passages couverts de Paris).

Benjamin's Project, which many scholars believe might have become one of the great texts of 20th-century cultural criticism, was never completed due to his suicide on the French-Spanish border in 1940. The Arcades Project has been posthumously edited and published in many languages as a collection of unfinished reflections. The work is mainly written in German, yet also contains French-language passages, mainly quotes.

Parisian arcades began to be constructed around the beginning of the nineteenth century and were sometimes destroyed as a result of Baron Haussmann's renovation of Paris during the Second French Empire (ca. 1850–1870). Benjamin linked them to the city's distinctive street life and saw them as providing one of the habitats of the flâneur (i.e., a person strolling in a locale to experience it).

Benjamin first mentioned the Arcades Project in a 1927 letter to his friend Gershom Scholem, describing it as his attempt to use collage techniques in literature. Initially, Benjamin saw the Arcades as a small article he would finish within a few weeks.

However, Benjamin's vision of the Arcades Project grew increasingly ambitious in scope until he perceived it as representing his most important creative accomplishment. On several occasions Benjamin altered his overall scheme of the Arcades Project, due in part to the influence of Theodor Adorno, who gave Benjamin a stipend and who expected Benjamin to make the Arcades project more explicitly political and Marxist in its analysis.

It contains sections (convolutes) on arcades, fashion, catacombs, iron constructions, exhibitions, advertising, interior design, Baudelaire, The streets of Paris, panoramas and dioramas, mirrors, painting, modes of lighting, railroads, Charles Fourier, Marx, photography, mannequins, social movements, Daumier's caricatures, literary history, the stock exchange, lithography, and the Paris Commune.

It influenced Marshal McLuhan's studies in media theory.

Structure

The project's structure is idiosyncratic. The convolutes correspond to letters of the alphabet; the individual sections of text— sometimes individual lines, sometimes multi-paragraph analyses —are ordered with square brackets, starting from [A1,1]. This numbering system comes from the pieces of folded paper that Benjamin wrote on, with [A1a,1] denoting the third page of his 'folio.'  Additionally, Benjamin included cross-references at the end of some sections. These were denoted by small boxes enclosing the word

The sections of text are at times Benjamin's own thoughts, and at other times consecutive quotations. These two types of textual sections are differentiated in their typography, with a large typeface for his writing and a smaller one for citations. This convention comes from the German version, but has no basis in Benjamin's manuscript. The convolutes also make extensive use of epigraphs from obscure publications.

Wiki

The Flaneur and Urban Phantasmagoria

Towards the City of Thresholds, Stavros Stavrides, 2010

As a figure, the laneur is in many ways the opposite of the private individual. The flaneur lives in public space. The streets, the boulevards and, above all, the Parisian arcades are his home7. In a way, the laneur seeks and produces at the same time marks of individuality not in his private shelter but out there, in metropolitan public space. He observes and often writes about city-life while being “jostled” by the crowd, inside “an immense reservoir of electric energy”, as Baudelaire describes metropolitan crowds (Benjamin 1999:443).

A true physiognomist, he seeks out what is distinctive, what is particular in the everyday panoramas of city life as they unfold in front of his eyes. He attributes value to small incidents, he explores leeting images, leeting gestures, ephemeral and chance encounters. The flaneur thus becomes a sublimated detective (ibid. 442).

His passion for minute details revealing small dramas or well hidden misdeeds makes him the perfect tracer. His hypersensitive sight interprets everything as a trace.

Whereas the private individual collects in his private shelter traces of a studiously fabricated individuality, the laneur searches for traces that will reveal individual trajectories in public space.

The individuality that he seeks out in the streets is the very same leeting individuality that dissatisies the private individual who feels that there are no individual traces in public space.

And whereas the private individual dedicates the phantasmagorias of interior to a ‘monumental’ individuality that resists the transitoriness of modern life, the laneur discovers in the depth of this transitoriness traces of an ephemeral, anonymous – if this is not a contradiction in terms – individuality. Immersed in public phantasmagorias he likes “to read from faces the profession, the ancestry, the character”(ibid. 429).

The private individual as a city-dweller crosses public space with his eyes “over-burdened with protective functions”(Benjamin1983:151). Eyes that have lost the ability to meaningfully communicate and return the gaze, are eyes that are only used to inform, protect and guide.

A protective anesthetization prevails in the behavior of the city dweller8. Being in the street means being able to conform to rules, to adapt to typical situations with minimum involvement.

On the opposite, the flaneur empathizes with the crowd (ibid. 54). He feels the energy, the sparks, the dangers, the passions. And this attitude is expressed through an aestheticizing of metropolitan life. The flaneur is a aesthete. He views everything as aesthetically meaningful.

That is why he presents himself in public through gestures of emphatic theatricality: taking a turtle for a walk, dressing sometimes as a dandy, appearing strange in the middle of the crowd, playing with imitative behavior, vanishing and surfacing again in many disguises.

Zygmunt Bauman is right to suggest that “the job of the flaneur is to rehearse the world as a theatre, life as a play” (Bauman1994:146). This attitude, as opposed to that of the private individual in the streets who, an aesthetized, cannot feel or recognise auratic elements in metropolitan landscape, is an attitude of auratic appreciation.

City life resumes in the eyes of the laneur a peculiar aura. Through a day-dreaming gaze that reintroduces a perspective between the flaneur and the leeting metropolitan images “a unique manifestation of distance” is perceived. What for others is protectively presented as ordinary, for him becomes strange. Everything assumes the status of a work of art, every object becomes able to return the gaze.

Such an aestheticization of metropolitan experience makes the laneur a possible co-producer of urban phantasmagoria. Adding through his gestures or writings to the spectacular character of a culture dedicated to “commodity worship”, he may eventually become a mediating igure in the re-enchantment of public life.

“The flaneur-as-idler is thus doubly phantasmagoric: in what he writes (the physiologies) and what he does (the pretence of aristocratic idleness and the reality of bourgeois commercial interest)” (Gilloch 1997:156).

The decline of aura connected to anesthetization and alienating shock absorption is positively reserved in a constructed metropolitan mythology: The modern “transitory gods”(Buck-Morss 1991:259) only participate in a fetishization of newness necessary for the cult of consumption. And newness “is the quintessence of that false consciousness whose indefatigable agent is fashion” (Benjamin1999a:11).

Public phantasmagorias are enhanced by the laneur, this peculiar intellectual aesthete, who makes his profession to pursue the novelties of modern life. Everything he observes is above all marked by a halo of newness, originality. This turns out to be a quest for individuality and distinctive particularity, a quest for fashionable novelties in every aspect of public life (dressing, behavior, the arts, city places, views, technological gadgets etc.). https://www.academia.edu/30170865/Loafing_Papers_on_Academic_Life_14

[transmutationisms]

Hi hi, have you read the book 'Queering Bathrooms: Gender, Sexuality, and the Hygienic Imagination' by Sheila L. Cavanagh? Would love to hear ur thoughts on it if so, I'm considering thrifting a copy !

i gutted it a few years back. full disclosure, i just wasn't really looking for a sociological text and i felt frustrated by that limitation in the book. it's kind of ironic to use foucault for this type of study given that foucault's main insight was in encouraging historical critique and historicisation; cavanagh invokes his theorisation of discipline, but doesn't deal with its historically specific elements (namely that this is a framework developed wrt northwestern europe in the 18th and 19th centuries) and isn't able to comment on processes of historical change or development. similarly, she invokes freudian psychoanalysis as a kind of transhistorical science, failing to attend to its cultural and historical specificities. to be blunt, 21st-century north america is not 20th-century vienna or 19th-century france; it's not that freud and foucault have nothing to say about the former, but without attention to temporal trends and changes, you lose sight of how and why present cultural beliefs and forms came to exist, and it's easy to overstate your case in terms of the extent to which a social theory developed in an entirely other context is applicable. freud was not a historian and foucault was barely one and generally a bad one; to use his work even in discussing 19th-century france (his case study) requires some serious legwork to address his theoretical lacunae and methodological shortcomings. i simply would not import that specific model of discipline into a different time period and place without writing, like, entire treatises first to examine how and in what ways it's applicable.

i don't mean to single cavanagh out here; i don't read much in sociology because my critiques are basically always versions of the above, lol. in this particular case, it's also worth pointing out that her interview subjects were, like, 60 americans and canadians who were mostly white and middle/upper class, so on top of the theoretical issues (& theory is the bulk of the book), i think the actual sociological work is also pretty limited. i generally agree with the broad outlines of cavanagh's viewpoint, but i just don't find the scholarship particularly helpful, especially as it struggles to move from the experiences of a very small number of individuals into commentary on larger (historical and contemporary) trends of waste management, gender segregation, and transphobia.

if you would be interested in historicised texts on bathrooms and waste management that use psychoanalytic and foucauldian theory in ways i find more useful and justified, i love the following:

public city/public sex: homosexuality, prostitution, and urban culture in nineteenth-century paris, by andrew ross

examines the embourgeoisement of urban culture in 19th-century paris and argues that the seeking of public sex, both by sex workers and gay men, shaped the city and the use of public spaces, including public urinals

history of shit, by dominique laporte, tr. nadia benabid & rodolphe el-khoury

a classic; uses psychoanalytic and historical-genealogical frameworks to analyse the development of sanitation techniques in western europe and the role these played in long-term developments in capitalism, nationalism, and urbanisation

paris sewers and sewermen: representations and realities, by donald reid

broader focus on paris's whole sewer system, but does also discuss bathrooms; mixes elements of cultural history and labour history, and interrogates the meanings imputed to sewers and those employed maintaining them in literary and political discourses, focussing on the 19th and early 20th centuries