Search Results for: CASTAC

Portending the Posthuman on YouTube

During this most spooky time of year, it is apropos to explore our transmogrification into posthumanity—a concept that instills fear in the hearts of many scholars, including many anthropologists, who are especially afraid that exploring this terrain precipitates the end of their discipline. For humanities studies scholar Rosi Braidotti (2013: 5), there is an “undeniably gloomy connotation to the posthuman condition, especially in relation to genealogies of critical thought.” In her view, our lack of theorization of posthuman subjectivity has brought us into a “zombified landscape of repetition without difference and lingering melancholia” (Braidotti 2013: 5). To be honest, I share numerous concerns about posthumanist claims and their implications. However, whether widespread posthuman-phobia is warranted remains to be explored. (read more...)

Archiving for the Anthropocene: Notes from the Field Campus

Editors’s note: Click here to read the author’s MA thesis expanding on this topic. On a chilly Sunday afternoon in March, our Field Campus group walked through downtown Granite City, Illinois. Located just 6 miles north of St. Louis, the downtown was a markedly post-industrial landscape. Many of the red brick buildings were vacant and showed signs of lasting decay. Weedy patches of open land occasionally provided views of a large nearby factory. It was hard to tell if coffee and sandwich shops were closed forever. The factory, a U.S. Steel Corps manufacturing plant called Granite City Works was founded by two German immigrants in 1896, along with the city itself. In 2009, the National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) ranked neighborhoods in Granite City at the second highest risk for cancer in the country, highlighting the plant’s coke ovens as a likely source (McGuire 2009). Coke oven emissions include benzene, arsenic, and lead (Earthjustice 2019) – that people breathe, and soils absorb. Another source of toxic air pollution has been the NL Industries/Taracorp lead smelter. Before its closure in 1983, the smelter contaminated over 1,600 households in Granite City and beyond, eventually turning into an EPA superfund cleanup site (Singer, n.d.). The US EPA recognized that the highest concentrations of lead in the air are around smelters. Lead in the air means lead in the soil. Tearing down houses in “blighted” sections of the city exacerbates the problem since demolitions release the lead in the paint of older buildings (Blythe 2019). Granite City is certainly a hot spot. As we walked through Granite City, we were guided by our local collaborator and artist Chris Carl, whose work with the urban renewal group New American Gardening “explores garden making on vacant lots and post industrial land.” Chris led us to the particular plot, pointing to a number of concrete blocks scattered around the ground. One of the blocks featured a warning symbol etched into its top, the other had the letters ‘Pb’ scrawled upon it – which, as he informed us, is the chemical abbreviation for lead. The blocks were Chris’s “DIY version of a lead remediation,” an intervention he began after a project by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences and a visit by EPA officials who confirmed low levels of lead all over the area after conducting the requisite soil testing. The levels on the site we were standing on, however, had proven to be “off the charts.” Notably, both Madison County and the U.S. Steel Trust had provided funding for this pilot plot. (read more...)

Representing Diverse Bodies in Medical Illustration

In 2016, just before I began my dissertation fieldwork, a trio of young medical illustrators presented a panel on “Normativity and Diversity in Healthcare Imagery” at the annual meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI). According to those who were at the meeting, the presentation was well-attended, but contentious. Among other statistics, the presenters pointed out that although the profession and the organization are at least 70% women, men often dominate awards and positions of power, and the vast majority of members are white. The panel’s presentations addressed not only the demographics of the profession but also social inequalities arising from the prevalence of the “able-bodied, attractive/thin, young, cisgender” white male body as “standard” in medical images. In a moment of informal conversation that fall, a friend of one presenter told me that they had been convinced that the “Diversity” presentation would likely result in cutting ties with the organization altogether. She gestured dramatically, coupled with a sound effect as though dropping a bomb. (read more...)

Organic Waste and the Looming Putrecene

As an urban compost coordinator I have supervised efforts to increase compost collection both commercially and residentially in New York City over the past five years. The job has offered an intriguing vantage to assess the future of urban waste-driven economies. This post discusses the microbial capitalism on display in the compost pile, looking beyond today’s relatively transient Anthropocene toward the far more enduring Putrecene. (read more...)

Platypus Celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month

In support of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, please enjoy some of our favorite posts engaging with understandings of disability! (read more...)

Optics and Fluidity: Evading Surveillance in Hong Kong

 At the Hong Kong airport, thousands of protesters line the arrivals hall. Creating a corridor for passengers to walk through, they stand silently, using their right hand to cover their right eye. The silence is occasionally perforated by calls of “Hāng Góng Gā Yáu!” and “Xiāng Gang Jīa Yóu 香港加油 – “Hong Kong Add Oil”— expressions of solidarity and encouragement that have become fuel for protests that have been ongoing and lively since March. Jingcha Huan Yan 警察還眼 – or, “police: return the eye” – has become a rallying cry of the movement following a police shooting of a young woman in the eye in Tsim Sha Tsui 尖沙嘴. Protesters ritually cover their right eyes or patch them shut with bloodied bandages. Others change their social media profile picture to an artistic rendering of a woman with an eyepatch. Twitter hashtag campaigns such as #Eye4HK have gained international traction, with (read more...)

視覺與流動性:逃避監控的香港

上千位抗議者聚集於香港機場的接機大廳,他們靜默站成兩排,形成人體走廊,每個人都用他們的右手去遮住右眼。偶爾有人會打破寂靜高喊“Hāng Góng Gā Yáu! (粵語的香港加油)”與 “Xiāng Gang Jīa Yóu (普通話的香港加油) ”,這是自三月以來, 示威者表達彼此團結與互相鼓勵的喊話。 自從在尖沙嘴發生警察射傷一位參加遊行的女性後,「警察還眼」便成了抗議活動的主要口號。有些示威者們紛紛用手,或者使用帶有血跡繃帶遮住右眼 ; 其他則選擇在社群媒體上把大頭照換成右眼受傷而被包紮起來的少女圖像 ; Twitter、Telegram、and Facebook流行起使用#Eye4HK的標籤,讓這事件得到了世界的注目,變成一場跨國行動。來自世界各地的其他人也開始上傳他們遮住右眼的自拍照,上載到社群媒體, 對於“眼睛行動”及香港自決未來的願景表態支持。 在抗議行動開始之前的前幾個月,逃犯條列草案引發了很大的爭議,因為它可以讓中國政府有權任意遣送香港居民到中國內地。這導致將近四分之一的香港人上街頭罷工抗議。他們的手拿著雨傘— 2014年雨傘革命的象徵。當時人民走上街頭要求真正的公民普選,要求 撤回政府提出的2017年 行政長官選舉及2016年立法會選舉和候選人提名方案,並爭取行政長官選舉的公民提名權。而這一次的運動,則是要求行政長官林鄭月娥下台以及立即撤回所謂的送中條列。起初,香港政府對這些訴求沒有回應,並把運動形容為「暴動」,同時也出現了好幾次警察濫用暴力來鎮壓示威者的情況。雖然經過幾個月之後,政府終於撤回了逃犯條列。但經歷警察持續的強力鎮壓下,抗議者不單重申堅持之前定下的訴求,更加入了新的訴求,包括立即實行雙普選跟追究警隊濫權。 近期社交媒體充斥著很多警察濫用暴力的短片,其中包括警察踩著一位老人的肩膀,當老人轉頭想看清楚是誰對他下手,警察便對著他噴催淚瓦斯。此外所謂的元朗事件也震驚了很多人。一百多個手持棍棒,穿白衣的人集體攻擊剛從和平遊行回家,並手無寸鐵的男女老幼。襲擊長達約三十分鐘。在這段時間裡面,雖然目擊者撥打超過一千多次的報警熱線,警察恰好在侵略者離場後一分鐘才到達現場。事情發生之後,警察也拒絕用監控攝像機錄像去找尋襲擊人士,更沒有主動調查這個案件。這都讓很多香港人更肯定了他們長久以來心中持有的一個想法:警察並非站在人民這一邊。過去的幾個月,林鄭月娥不僅沒開口,而且沒出來直接面對抗議者的訴求,她甚至把抗議者與執政者比喻成親子的關係。強調小孩都需要管教,因為他們還不知道好跟壞,為了不讓孩子事後反悔,媽媽拒絕他們的選擇,而替他們做決定都是為孩子好。 正當香港的公民、社運人士與民主派透過社交媒體的力量,讓香港的議題獲得來自世界各地的關注。同時,還有另外一種「視角」滲入香港,引起極多人的擔憂。今年夏天,香港出現了最新型的智慧型路燈,其中搭載了監控系統。香港政府堅決表示這些監控系統只限香港警察跟香港當地政府使用,但隨著香港自主權日益低落,一國兩制日漸失效的情況之下,很多香港人不禁開始質疑:這些智慧科技之眼到底是為誰服務?這些眼將如何被運用?未來他們是否還會被延伸至其他監控的用途? 近期來自新疆的新聞都一再指出,中國應用類似的監控科技來打壓新疆的伊斯蘭教徒以及管控少數族群的一舉一動。同時中國也將於明年2020開始實施社會信用體系,屆時將使用臉部識別科技來紀錄所有國民的行動與生活習慣,並依據這些數據來評比個人社會信用分數。分數高低將會大大影響人民的個人權利及行動自由。雖然中國再度強調,香港不會實施社會信用系統,也保證香港將保留自主權,但經過幾年以來,中國逐步暗地裡干預香港的司法制度,連同一些書店老闆與參加社運的人的莫名消失事件。香港人十分質疑的是: 這些監控系統背後到底是要保護哪一邊的主權與哪一群人? 人類學針對監控的研究指出,監控的過程基本上牽涉到的是能見度的問題。在監控過程當中,某些形貌與人體會變得超級清晰可見,但同時卻有其他的形體因此更顯得黯淡甚至消失(Dubrofsky and Magnet 2015: 17)。我們身處於監控技術越來越無縫接軌式地被政府使用的年代,政府與非政府機構共享數據的情況與日俱增,其程度跨越了地方、國家和國與國間的規模 (Gluck and Low 2017)。在這種情況之下,香港今日的抗議者們絕對有一些可貴的經驗教訓以讓我們更加了解抗議與抵抗運動的未來。 雷射筆跟雨傘都成為了這一次抗議行動的象徵 – 這兩件物品都成為香港社運很具體的象徵。但同時也是在一個所謂的視覺戰場中用來抵抗與逃避監控的重要工具。這個戰場中,你必須得出席 ; 必須被看見 ; 但你不能被認出。抗議者使用這些工具來達到這個被看見但不被認出的目的。鏡頭像眼睛一樣用折射的原理來攝象。抗議者使用綠色雷射筆來讓鏡頭失去辨別能力。他們向已知的相機位置方向投射雷射光,同時也會將雷射光頭照在警察身上,這樣不僅讓所有其他人知道警察的位置,也用來防範警察身上有可能攜帶著的隱藏鏡頭。 選擇綠色雷射光絕非偶然。綠光波長較長,這意味著其可在更廣泛的照明條件之下清晰可見。抗議者利用發射高可見光,和集中光的發射,讓自己顯得過度清晰可見,造成無論用鏡頭或是人眼唯一能看到的就只有光線,而不是臉部或是身體。 臉部識別科技仰賴光的正常化和陰影抑制效果來運作。抗議者不僅使用雨傘直接遮擋相機和其他武器(例如催淚瓦斯),而且運用雨傘創造更多陰影,讓光的正常化系統無法演算並預測其移動的方式。 當警察與某些抗議者都試圖從「非抗議暴力抗爭」的主流觀念中受益。中國的媒體也集中致力於將抗議者用的工具手段命名為激進武器。在監控時代,治理者和警務越來越傾向於先發制人。在這樣的一個環境中,常規的攻擊與防禦概念(以及仰賴這些概念所定義出來的「武器」)變得十分模糊且站不住腳。在監控系統成為武器的時代,對於的光影操縱也成為了弱者們的武器與抵抗工具。 2014年的雨傘革命圍繞著一股至今依舊熟悉的邏輯:佔領。受到全球社會運動例如佔領華爾街與台灣太陽花學運的啟發,當時香港公民試圖佔領中環跟金鐘。 而這股雨傘革命到現在演變成了水革命(#BeWater)。#BeWater強調最新的多/跨形式的反抗原則。堅如冰,流如水,聚如露,散如霧。雖然香港政府逮捕了學生領袖以及出聲的活動份子 – 包括在2014參與雨傘革命的人 – 都沒有影響到參加抗議行動的人數跟抗議活動的組織機構。抗議行動大部分都是通過Telegram與它的即時投票和通訊能供性來決策與實現的。無領袖抗議的思想持續讓北京政府迷惑不解。如水已經變成了佔領篇章中的2.0版本。 在抗議者使用如「水」般自由自在的抵抗模式之時,警察也將水染色來當作武器並使用強力的噴水槍噴灑在示威者上,嘗試通過上色的方式來辨別參加抗議群中的人,並在等待其向各方逃跑時時想辦法逮捕。然而此法並未成功因為有來自大眾捐贈的衣物讓抗議群眾可以隨時更換他們的衣服。 透過Telegram的運用,各種補給品的地點隨時更新及被知,並在城市間有效率的流動。抗議者們也透過用Telegram來投票決定下一步的集體行運,並立即進行決策。他們乘地鐵時,也使用單程的票據,避開了八達通卡片裡的追蹤技術。 如今的香港,抗議者用科技斡旋的抵抗方法與多型態的抗議模式來面對最新的監控科技與統治。香港人們的眼睛被射傷濺血, 被傳統的瓦斯武器給嗆傷的同時,他們也運用科技來超越了自己原有的型態。人體變得像水,借助光與影的操控來對付敵對勢力。通過社群媒體的力量,他們邀請到了來自世界個地友善的眼睛,殷切盼望那些眼睛中所映出的是其認同他們的願景以及他們眼睛所想看到的未來 ; 而非那些透過科技入侵並想要統治甚至殖民的『智慧之眼』。他們所希望的正是#Eyes4HK. 當新型的數據採集模式加速出現,且所有的資訊都要求我們以“有型”的樣貌去設計時,我們若與那些抑制著我們的容器或是科技設備碰撞或潑灑時,到底該以怎樣的型態自居?也許就如同李小龍曾說的吧:『動』。 Dubrofsky, Rachel E. and Shoshana Amielle Magnet, eds. 2015. Feminist Surveillance Studies. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Glück, Zoltán and Setha Low. 2017. “A Sociospatial Framework for the Anthropology of Security.” Anthropological Theory 17 (3), 281-296. 在90年代中期,香港歷經了政權體制的轉變,彭定康(Chris Patten)為英國執政時期底下最後一個香港總督。期間立法院有一半是經由普選所決定。但普選政制改革在1997年香港交還給中國政府後便陷入停滯。2014年8月31日北京政府提出對於2017年香港特首以及2016年立法會選舉體系和候選人提名的改革方案,嘗試推行“有限民主的計畫”,並創造了一個類似美國選舉人團的選舉委員會制度。但問題是,這個選委會的成員,幾乎全部都是親中派。因此民主派人士希望能夠實行公民普選,保證人民擁有候選人提名權。 (read more...)

Driver-Citizens and Technical Safety in India: Traffic Violations and Penalties in the Motor Vehicle Act 2019

One of the first things that gets discussed with reference to India is road traffic. Erstwhile known as a land of snake charmers, this classically orientalist image of the country has been displaced by a more technocratic obsession with road traffic and accidents. While debates amongst the educated elite around the “appropriate” use of roads have been ongoing since the early colonial period, it is only more recently that road safety has begun to garner palpable urgency in its visibility as a social problem that needs to be solved by the Indian state. As such, with the United Nations declaring 2010-2020 as the ‘Decade for Action on Road Safety’, international pressure on the Global South to adopt road safety has only intensified. (read more...)