Sunday, May 16, 2010

Bennett's Vibrant Matter reading schedule

You've probably already seen this at the other blogs, but I was out of town this weekend and so am a little late getting this up (though Epcot is amazing, so I don't feel bad at all).

The previously announced 'Vibrant Matter' reading group will take place across five blogs over five weeks, beginning May 23 and ending June 26. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things is the latest book by Johns Hopkins University political theorist Jane Bennett. Philosophy in a Time of Error has posted a very useful overview of the book, along with an interview with its author. Anyone interested in participating is invited to read these, and to order your copy of the book in time for the first session. The reading schedule will be as follows:

May 23-29
Host blog: Philosophy in a Time of Error (Peter Gratton)
Under discussion: Preface & Chapter 1, "The Force of Things" (and overview/interview).

May 30-June 5
Host blog: Critical Animal (James Stanescu) [That's me!]
Under discussion: Under discussion: Chapters 2 and 3, "The Agency of Assemblages" and "Edible Matter."

June 6-12
Host blog: Naught Thought (Ben Woodard)
Under discussion: Chapters 4 and 5, "A Life of Matter" and "Neither Vitalism nor Mechanism."

June 13-19
Host blog: An und für sich (Anthony Paul Smith)
Under discussion: Chapters 6 and 7, "Stem Cells and the Culture of Life" and "Political Ecologies"

June 20-26
Host blog: Immanence (Adrian Ivakhiv)
Under discussion: Chapter 8, "Vitality and Self-interest," and the book as a whole (final overview).

All welcome!


I'd also like to add that I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people recently wanting to join the reading group. If you missed making it to this schedule, we still haven't organized the schedule for Tim Morton's The Ecological Thought, so drop me or any of the other participating members an email and we can include you in future organization discussions.