I am reviewing Meg Wiessner's Response to Sketch 4, the Wishlist 2070 activity. I see a few topical interests and research commitments peeking through, like design, media, and environment. In a broad sense, this artifact makes me want to ask what inspires the author. Around what career trajectory(ies) might these projects and stray theories be organized?
On a more particular note, I was interested in this wishlist item:
Materiality/immateriality as a central problematic in media studies, environmental studies, and critical theory
I think that insight is fascinating and warrants (or deserves) elaboration. What do media studies, environmental studies, and critical theory share that make this one problematic central to them all? Is it a problematic of these field or a problematic of our time, "modernity", or something else? What kinds of research might be done to understand this problematic?
Finally, reading this response made me think more about my own response. Two questions I would want to pose to everyone who did this activity are 1) Of these items, what comes next in your career trajectory, and 2) Would ordering this wishlist be a productive activity?
I am reviewing Nima Madjzubi's response to Sketch 6: STS Beyond Academia. I think Nima's response corresponds to how I think about my research. Nima points out a contention I sensed when also trying to think of my research "beyond academia," i.e. what is "beyond" when we study academicians who do research and practice and theory all at once. This relates to my research interests because it is also true for me that in working with dermatologists, the lines between academia and its beyond are blurry. I do think, however, that there may be a way to reconcile this discomfort and push oneself to think past deconstruction toward an answer. In Nima's work on primatologists, as in my own, scientists exist beyond science. I do think there might be a way to engage primatologists' practitioner side. For instance, if they do advocacy or other work for primates outside of their academic work, is there a way for our work to aid in how they do or think about that work?