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Guest Salon: Christopher M. Kelty
March 23, 2022 @ 12:00 - 13:00
On March 23rd, we will host Christopher M. Kelty in the TiP Salon.
Title: The Maze of Nature in Los Angeles
Abstract: The Labyrinth Project is a collaborative inquiry into
nature in Los Angeles. Wetlands, lawns, rats, cats, coyotes,
mountain lions interact with human affect, state power, indigenous
politics, aesthetic pleasure, local governmental power and much
more. Also, Satan. Using a mix of participant-observation,
structured interviewing, collaborative urban anthropology,
historical and archival digging, ecological observation, and
analysis of social media content, we explore the diverse and
surprising ways in which Los Angeles is full of different natures—
a veritable trophic cascade of the absurd and surprising.
Bio
Christopher M. Kelty is professor at the University of
California, Los Angeles. He has appointments in the Institute for
Society and Genetics, the department of Information Studies and
the Department of Anthropology. Research interests center on
social theory and technology, the cultural significance of
information technology; the relationship of participation,
technology and the public sphere; and more recently, the role
that wild animals play in contemporary urban Los Angeles. He is
the author of two books: The Participant: A Century of
Participation in Four Stories (Chicago, 2019); and Two Bits: The
Cultural Significance of Free Software (Duke University Press,
2008).
We have four regular events
- The TiP Salon runs weekly during the semester. We convene around constructive engagement with new publications, visitors to the group and work in progress. The meeting is open, and runs at 12:00-13:00 on Wednesdays. Please contact Zea Yde to sign up to the email list.
- Shut up and Write takes place every week on Wednesdays from 13:15 to 17:00. Based on the model promoted by Inger Mewburn, we commit to writing projects on the whiteboard and write in shorter sessions with breaks.
- The TiP Invited Speaker Series has been running since 2018, and each year 3-4 invited speakers present their work in a public forum. All welcome.
- The TiP Writing Workshop takes place twice a semester, where contributions from all members of TiP are welcome. The purpose of the workshop is to give and receive feedback on ‘in progress’ work. Practically the workshop entails reading all participants’ submission, being a ‘caring opponent’ on one particular text, and participating in constructive debate about the texts.
Sporadic events
When PhD students are at the right stage of their studies, they resurrect the longstanding institution of the STS Reading Group. Previous seasons of the Reading Group can be found here