University of Minnesota Press Books

"Answering methodological challenges posed by the Anthropocene, this collection retools the empirical study of the socioecological chaos of the contemporary moment across the arts, human science, and natural science. The methodological companion to Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet, it provides empirical studies of the multispecies messiness of contemporary life that investigate some of the critical questions of our time"

"For years critics have viewed Herman Melville's Captain Ahab as the paradigm of a strong, controlling agent. Farmer and Schroeder's volume aims to rethink Ahab through a series of "materialist" frames, including posthumanism, disability studies, affect theory, animal studies, environmental humanities, systems theory, and oceanic studies. The essays here recast Ahab as a contingent figure, transformed by his environment--by chemistry, electromagnetism, entomology, meteorology, diet, illness, pain, trauma, and neurons firing--in ways that unexpectedly force us to see him as worthy of our empathy and our compassion. Collectively these materialist readings challenge our ways of thinking about the boundaries of both persons and actions, along with the racist and environmental violence caused by 'personhood' and by the 'human"-- Provided by publisher

What does it mean to refuse? To not participate, to not build a better world, to just say "no"? In a landscape dominated by demands for positive solutions and optimistic compromises, this work explores the political significance of refusal. Leading scholars analyze various aspects of political action when "no" is involved, covering topics like collective action, antisocialism, and the philosophical insights of Deleuze and Derrida. Kennan Ferguson's introduction highlights the political importance of the "Big No," which serves as a form of resistance against oppression. Joshua Clover emphasizes the relevance of Marx and Fanon in understanding alienation and subjugation. Theodore Martin examines the allure of antisociality in literature, referencing authors like Patricia Highsmith and Richard Wright. Francois Laruelle distinguishes nonphilosophy from other critical theories, while Katerina Kolozova discusses how confusion between thought and reality leads to manipulation and alienation. Frank Wilderson uses poetry and autobiography to illustrate how Black bodies are politically displaced and erased, while Andrew Culp connects themes of negativity, contrasting antiphilosophy and Afropessimism. This work asserts that critical thinking often demands alternatives, yet it also argues that absolute refusal to engage in world-building is a vital response to injustice, reminding us that political action is not always inherently posi

Humanists, scientists, and artists collaborate to address the disjunctive temporalities of ecological crisis. In 2016, Antarctica’s Totten Glacier, formed 34 million years ago, detached from its bedrock due to warming ocean waters. This event exemplifies the disjunctive temporalities of the Anthropocene’s ecological crises: the rapid degradation of our planet’s life-supporting environment that developed over millennia. The editors argue that to effectively represent and respond to these crises—such as climate change, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss—requires a reframing of time itself, highlighting the connections between past, present, and future, as well as between human lifespans and the planet’s history. The collection features engaging essays that bring together oceanographers, geophysicists, geologists, and anthropologists with literary scholars, art historians, and archaeologists. They explore the interplay of geological deep time and historical context, ecological crises and cultural expression, environmental policy and social constructs, restoration ecology and future visions, and the balance between constructive pessimism and actionable hope. Additionally, three complementary “etudes” showcase artists discussing experimental works that investigate the various timescales of ecological crisis. Contributors include scholars and artists from prestigious institutions, creating a rich tapestry of interdisciplinar

Introduction : Architecture and Technics / Zeynep Çelik Alexander -- Rendering : On Experience and Experiments / Lucia Allais -- Modeling : A Secret History of Following / Matthew C. Hunter -- Scanning : A Technical History of Form / Zeynep Çelik Alexander -- Equipping : Domestic Sleights of Hand / Edward A. Eigen -- Specifying : The Generality of Clerical Labor / Michael Osman -- Positioning : Architecture of Logistics / John Harwood -- Repeating : Cybernetic Intelligence / Orit Halpern -- Afterword : Architecture in Real Time / John May.

"Swedish Folktales and Legends is a diverse and representative collection of stories from Sweden's centuries-old folklore tradition. Ranging from the ribald to the romantic, from the rustic to the mythical, these are lively translations of 150 tales drawn from unique sources including the Swedish National Folklore Archives and numerous private collections, while the humorous and dramatic illustrations are gathered from classic volumes of Swedish folktales. Lone Thygesen Blecher's engaging introduction details the purpose and background of folktales and legends as well as the history of their collection. This distinctive selection presents the storytelling artistry of Sweden's lush folkloric tradition.

Ethnographic research has often been shrouded in mystery regarding the realities of fieldwork, data collection, and analysis in the social sciences. This unique compendium offers actual fieldnotes from contemporary ethnographers across various modalities and research traditions, revealing the intricacies of this research process, its challenges, and its potential. The volume pairs fieldnotes derived from observations, interviews, drawings, photographs, soundscapes, and other modern recording methods with reflective essays. These essays illustrate how fieldnotes are crafted and influenced by research experiences, providing insights into conducting qualitative research. They highlight the benefits and difficulties of ethnographic work, distinguishing it from other writing forms like reporting and travelogue. By granting access to these personal archives, the book challenges taboos surrounding the privacy of ethnographic writing, offering scholars a diverse, multimodal perspective on conceptualizing and executing ethnographic fieldwork. This collection serves as a vital resource for understanding the complexities of qualitative research in the social sciences, fostering a deeper appreciation for the art of ethnography.

This collection investigates insecurity as a dominant logic shaping contemporary cultural, economic, political, and social life in the West. It challenges key concepts like precarity, securitization, and resilience, revealing how efforts to secure systems often exacerbate insecurity, making it the default state of existence today. The essays span a wide range of disciplines and methodologies, including intellectual history, cultural critique, case studies, qualitative ethnography, and personal narrative, primarily from a U.S. perspective. Contributors analyze various topics, such as the securitization of nongovernmental aid to Palestine, the plight of Bangladeshi climate refugees, and the privatization of U.S. military forces. They also explore the historical context of insecurity and financial securitization, racialized urban development in Augusta, Georgia, the implications of Amazon's Mechanical Turk, and the complex politics surrounding sexual harassment in U.S. academia. The diverse range of contributors includes scholars from institutions such as the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Columbia University, providing a multifaceted examination of how insecurity permeates modern life.

Considers how people have confronted, challenged, and resisted remote warfare Drone warfare is now a routine, if not predominant, aspect of military engagement. Although this method of delivering violence at a distance has been a part of military arsenals for two decades, scholarly debate on remote warfare writ large has remained stuck in tired debates about practicality, efficacy, and ethics. Remote Warfare broadens the conversation, interrogating the cultural and political dimensions of distant warfare and examining how various stakeholders have responded to the reality of state-sponsored remote violence. The essays here represent a panoply of viewpoints, revealing overlooked histories of remoteness, novel methodologies, and new intellectual challenges. From the story arc of Homeland to redefining the idea of a "warrior," these thirteen pieces consider the new nature of surveillance, similarities between killing with drones and gaming, literature written by veterans, and much more. Timely and provocative, Remote Warfare makes significant and lasting contributions to our understanding of drones and the cultural forces that shape and sustain them.--Provided by publisher