Publishing digital anthologies and databases, testing out new models of distribution, exhibition,... more Publishing digital anthologies and databases, testing out new models of distribution, exhibition, and preservation, and building interdisciplinary collaboration not only between traditional academic disciplines but also between distinct international communities, one might think of electronic literature as the research and development wing of the digital humanities. This chapter will situate these three projects within an emergent institutionalization of network-based creative community in electronic 4
If, as Jacques Derrida once claimed in a New York Times interview, 'Everything is a text' (Smith,... more If, as Jacques Derrida once claimed in a New York Times interview, 'Everything is a text' (Smith, 1998), then, of course, we are correct to seek methods of textual analysis appropriate for those media we choose to scrutinize, including those texts contained within the entire realm of digital computing. This realm of the text would include the network of machines, the individual machines themselves, the platforms that run on them, the software that runs on the platforms, the plug-ins and applets tucked into the software, the content supported by the software, and the ways that people use, modify, and create this content. To many who read this-electronic literature critics, digital humanists, cultural studies scholars, and others-this broad conception of textuality is nothing new. It fits within a tradition of criticism that is often traced back to the field of semiotics, but could conceivably be traced back to the Hellenic conception of techne which is linked to poiesis. 1
In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In prac... more In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In practice, academic publishing is about gaining status by getting something printed in the most static venue possible. At its worst, the Journal is an insider's club where gatekeepers tag select works for limited circulation, and scholars hum bly submit to this hierarchy. For cultural studies scholars, many of whom make a great show about their "radical" politics, the limitations of the print journal should provoke some reflection. Instead of asking how we as scholars actively participate in replicating the economy of prestige at the price of knowledge, we get comfort able with the culture of the Academy. We start to believe our own hype. As a project, Reconstruction takes its own shape as material and criticism is added, changing the meaning of what came before and creating new possibilities for things to come. Because of its collaborative nature, Reconstruction should allow us to reconsider the concept of the "organic intellectual," allowing many types of intellectuals from many traditions and non-traditions to insert themselves into aca demic discussion. But more importantly, Reconstruction contains the potential for intellectual projects that are themselves organic in their growth-living cultural texts which are not subject to the authority of individual scholars. As such, the concept of scholarly "authority," which is bound up in the concept of authorship, is surpassed by a vital, evolving, intellectual movement: no one voice speaks, instead there exists a chorus of articulated thought.
New colonies-Reasons for their rapid increase-North American Colonies-Extraordinary instance of i... more New colonies-Reasons for their rapid increase-North American Colonies-Extraordinary instance of increase in the back settlements-Rapidity with which even old states recover the ravages of war, pestilence, famine, or the convulsions of nature.
Landing in the Midwest after a lifetime in Los Angeles, I was shocked to learn how “famous” that ... more Landing in the Midwest after a lifetime in Los Angeles, I was shocked to learn how “famous” that great city really is. It used to seem perfectly reasonable that the freeways on CHiPs looked just like the ones I rode to school. When I was five, I remember being secretly bummed that my mom never took us to the disco-classical mural from Xanadu, which I was convinced had to be hidden somewhere in Venice Beach. In high school, it never seemed strange that the Peach Pit on Beverly Hills 90210 was the same as the Rose City Diner. From the L.A. River to the Griffith Park Observatory, from the Hollywood Sign to Venice Beach, the places I had been in, through, and around were inscribed with meanings in ways that I could never fully grasp. Even marginalized localities like Inglewood, Compton, and East L.A., which especially during the 1980s and early 1990s were being ravaged by urban warfare, got to be the stars of movies, songs, and many music videos. And on April 29, 1992, the corner of Flo...
In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In prac... more In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In practice, academic publishing is about gaining status by getting something printed in the most static venue possible. At its worst, the Journal is an insider's club where gatekeepers tag select works for limited circulation, and scholars hum bly submit to this hierarchy. For cultural studies scholars, many of whom make a great show about their "radical" politics, the limitations of the print journal should provoke some reflection. Instead of asking how we as scholars actively participate in replicating the economy of prestige at the price of knowledge, we get comfort able with the culture of the Academy. We start to believe our own hype. As a project, Reconstruction takes its own shape as material and criticism is added, changing the meaning of what came before and creating new possibilities for things to come. Because of its collaborative nature, Reconstruction should allow us to reconsider the concept of the "organic intellectual," allowing many types of intellectuals from many traditions and non-traditions to insert themselves into aca demic discussion. But more importantly, Reconstruction contains the potential for intellectual projects that are themselves organic in their growth-living cultural texts which are not subject to the authority of individual scholars. As such, the concept of scholarly "authority," which is bound up in the concept of authorship, is surpassed by a vital, evolving, intellectual movement: no one voice speaks, instead there exists a chorus of articulated thought.
Rhizomes: Cultural Studies in Emerging Knowledge, 2004
ABSTRACT: In "Utopian Accidents," Davin Heckman analyzes the shift from futuristic to r... more ABSTRACT: In "Utopian Accidents," Davin Heckman analyzes the shift from futuristic to retro design as manifested in Walt Disney's original plans for EPCOT (1960s), Disney's EPCOT Center (1980s), and Celebration, Florida (1990s). Linking this discussion to questions about ...
Publishing digital anthologies and databases, testing out new models of distribution, exhibition,... more Publishing digital anthologies and databases, testing out new models of distribution, exhibition, and preservation, and building interdisciplinary collaboration not only between traditional academic disciplines but also between distinct international communities, one might think of electronic literature as the research and development wing of the digital humanities. This chapter will situate these three projects within an emergent institutionalization of network-based creative community in electronic 4
If, as Jacques Derrida once claimed in a New York Times interview, 'Everything is a text' (Smith,... more If, as Jacques Derrida once claimed in a New York Times interview, 'Everything is a text' (Smith, 1998), then, of course, we are correct to seek methods of textual analysis appropriate for those media we choose to scrutinize, including those texts contained within the entire realm of digital computing. This realm of the text would include the network of machines, the individual machines themselves, the platforms that run on them, the software that runs on the platforms, the plug-ins and applets tucked into the software, the content supported by the software, and the ways that people use, modify, and create this content. To many who read this-electronic literature critics, digital humanists, cultural studies scholars, and others-this broad conception of textuality is nothing new. It fits within a tradition of criticism that is often traced back to the field of semiotics, but could conceivably be traced back to the Hellenic conception of techne which is linked to poiesis. 1
In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In prac... more In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In practice, academic publishing is about gaining status by getting something printed in the most static venue possible. At its worst, the Journal is an insider's club where gatekeepers tag select works for limited circulation, and scholars hum bly submit to this hierarchy. For cultural studies scholars, many of whom make a great show about their "radical" politics, the limitations of the print journal should provoke some reflection. Instead of asking how we as scholars actively participate in replicating the economy of prestige at the price of knowledge, we get comfort able with the culture of the Academy. We start to believe our own hype. As a project, Reconstruction takes its own shape as material and criticism is added, changing the meaning of what came before and creating new possibilities for things to come. Because of its collaborative nature, Reconstruction should allow us to reconsider the concept of the "organic intellectual," allowing many types of intellectuals from many traditions and non-traditions to insert themselves into aca demic discussion. But more importantly, Reconstruction contains the potential for intellectual projects that are themselves organic in their growth-living cultural texts which are not subject to the authority of individual scholars. As such, the concept of scholarly "authority," which is bound up in the concept of authorship, is surpassed by a vital, evolving, intellectual movement: no one voice speaks, instead there exists a chorus of articulated thought.
New colonies-Reasons for their rapid increase-North American Colonies-Extraordinary instance of i... more New colonies-Reasons for their rapid increase-North American Colonies-Extraordinary instance of increase in the back settlements-Rapidity with which even old states recover the ravages of war, pestilence, famine, or the convulsions of nature.
Landing in the Midwest after a lifetime in Los Angeles, I was shocked to learn how “famous” that ... more Landing in the Midwest after a lifetime in Los Angeles, I was shocked to learn how “famous” that great city really is. It used to seem perfectly reasonable that the freeways on CHiPs looked just like the ones I rode to school. When I was five, I remember being secretly bummed that my mom never took us to the disco-classical mural from Xanadu, which I was convinced had to be hidden somewhere in Venice Beach. In high school, it never seemed strange that the Peach Pit on Beverly Hills 90210 was the same as the Rose City Diner. From the L.A. River to the Griffith Park Observatory, from the Hollywood Sign to Venice Beach, the places I had been in, through, and around were inscribed with meanings in ways that I could never fully grasp. Even marginalized localities like Inglewood, Compton, and East L.A., which especially during the 1980s and early 1990s were being ravaged by urban warfare, got to be the stars of movies, songs, and many music videos. And on April 29, 1992, the corner of Flo...
In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In prac... more In theory, academic publishing is about active participation in a community of schol ars. In practice, academic publishing is about gaining status by getting something printed in the most static venue possible. At its worst, the Journal is an insider's club where gatekeepers tag select works for limited circulation, and scholars hum bly submit to this hierarchy. For cultural studies scholars, many of whom make a great show about their "radical" politics, the limitations of the print journal should provoke some reflection. Instead of asking how we as scholars actively participate in replicating the economy of prestige at the price of knowledge, we get comfort able with the culture of the Academy. We start to believe our own hype. As a project, Reconstruction takes its own shape as material and criticism is added, changing the meaning of what came before and creating new possibilities for things to come. Because of its collaborative nature, Reconstruction should allow us to reconsider the concept of the "organic intellectual," allowing many types of intellectuals from many traditions and non-traditions to insert themselves into aca demic discussion. But more importantly, Reconstruction contains the potential for intellectual projects that are themselves organic in their growth-living cultural texts which are not subject to the authority of individual scholars. As such, the concept of scholarly "authority," which is bound up in the concept of authorship, is surpassed by a vital, evolving, intellectual movement: no one voice speaks, instead there exists a chorus of articulated thought.
Rhizomes: Cultural Studies in Emerging Knowledge, 2004
ABSTRACT: In "Utopian Accidents," Davin Heckman analyzes the shift from futuristic to r... more ABSTRACT: In "Utopian Accidents," Davin Heckman analyzes the shift from futuristic to retro design as manifested in Walt Disney's original plans for EPCOT (1960s), Disney's EPCOT Center (1980s), and Celebration, Florida (1990s). Linking this discussion to questions about ...
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