The outcomes of our porn memory work project are finally materializing. In 2012, we asked together with the Folklore archives of the Finnish Literature Society for Finns of different ages to write to us about what they understand with porn and what kinds of materials, encounters with and experiences of porn they remember. Since the project never got funded, writing it up has not been speedy. But now! ‘We hid porn magazines in the nearby woods’: Memory-work and pornography consumption in Finland, written with Katariina Kyrölä, Kaarina Nikunen and Laura Saarenmaa and looking at the general methodology and findings, is available online before print with Sexualities. And that is not all: Glimmers of the forbidden fruit: Reminiscing pornography, conceptualizing the archive, written with the wonderful Katariina and exploring the different possibilities of archive as a concept in studies of porn use, is freshly accessible with the International Journal of Cultural Studies.
Category Archives: media studies
Networked Affect is out!
Based on a series of worksho
ps at the 2011 Association of Internet Researchers conference in Seattle, Networked Affect is now out from MIT Press. Edited by Ken Hillis, Michael Petit and myself, it also includes essays by James Ash, Alex Cho, Jodi Dean, Melissa Gregg, Kylie Jarrett, Tero Karppi, Stephen Maddison, Jussi Parikka, Jennifer Pybus, Jenny Sundén and Veronika Tzankova. The book explores the intersections of internet research and theories of affect from a range of perspectives — from the queer reverbs of Tumblr to the gift economies of Facebook, nonhuman agencies of code, digital materialities of Steampunk and the political affect of Turkish sexual confession sites. So glad it’s finally out.
Filed under affect theory, media studies
affective encounters
Digging into my hard drive, there was the PDF of the proceedings for Affective Encounters: Rethinking Embodiment in Feminist Media Studies conference, held in University of Turku on 2001, coedited with Anu Koivunen. These went offline as the university once more redesigned their site – but are back now, here: proceedings.pdf.
Filed under affect theory, media studies
The affect of failure
For three years now, I’ve been asking my students to write a small essay on their experiences of media and communication technology failing – just describing how it feels – in order to address our mundane dependencies on technological devices and networks of different kinds. This tends to be a favorite assignment (these feelings can be stark) and makes teaching the basic ideas of ANT a little smoother in a humanities media studies classroom. The plan is to develop this line of investigation toward the affective underpinnings of network media more generally, with an emphasis on distraction, boredom and other similar happy states. But before I get that far (looking forward to the sabbatical next academic year!), an article of mine exploring some of these essays is freshly online with Television & New Media as “As networks fail: Affect, technology, and the notion of the user.” One of the most enjoyable experiences of working with an academic journal ever! Special thanks to Ken Hillis and Michael Petit for their thoughtful comments and feedback. To be continued.
Filed under affect theory, media studies
Reviews for Carnal Resonance
Academic publishing is slow and so is the book review process. Out in 2011, my Carnal Resonance: Affect and Online Pornography is actually getting some reviews: at least in Porn Studies, Convergence, Somatechnics and Media International Australia. Exciting times!
Filed under affect theory, media studies, porn studies
Affective capitalism symposium
5-6 June at University of Turku, with Melissa Gregg and Tony D. Sampson as keynotes:
The idea of this two-day symposium is to bring together researchers and thinkers to discuss different areas of affective capitalism. We want to challenge affective capitalism on its own ground. To do this we will analyse specific examples of affective capitalism at work and map its defining factors. We are seeking new ways to understand affective capitalism through its ambivalences and complexities. At the same time, we ask how we could resist it and develop alternatives for it.
Program will soon be available at http://affectivecapitalism.wordpress.com/
Filed under affect theory, media studies
Porn studies journal is out!
The first double issue of Porn Studies journal is out an available for free until May at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rprn20/1/1-2#.U0PbTq2Sx8w. Recommended reading for anyone interested in porn research.
Filed under media studies, porn studies
Erkki Kurenniemi – A man from the future
The anthology Erkki Kurenniemi: A man from the future, edited by Maritta Mellais is available online, with articles by Kai Lassfolk, Mikko Ojanen, Jussi Parikka, Jyrki Siukonen, Jari Suominen and yours truly: click here for my “Slimy Traces: Memory, Technology and the Archive.”
Susanna Paasonen 