Studies of the environment have a history of being characterized by a deep division between scientific research and humanities scholarship. In the same way, literary ecocriticism has been engrained within a critical lineage associated with an American wilderness ethic and Jeffersonian logic of “culture” in opposition to “the environment.” In conversation with anti-making discourses, that Read More
The coffee shop in question is the Brûlerie St-Denis on rue Masson (recently styled “La Promenade Masson”). This pleasant, gentrified Rosemont neighbourhood is known for its population of young families and aging hipsters pushed out of Mile End and the Plateau by exorbitant property values. The café is known for nothing in particular. The food Read More
In his highly-influential book and lecture series The Truth about Stories, Cherokee knowledge keeper Thomas King begins each story by describing an exchange between two people: “There is a story I know. It’s about the earth and how it floats in space on the back of a turtle. I’ve heard this story many times, and each time Read More
I am a dramaturg. … (what does that mean?) … In their book Dramaturgy and Performance Cathy Turner and Synne K. Behrndt explain that, “the more precise and concise one tries to be [in defining dramaturgy], the more one invites the response ‘Yes, but…’. Although dictionaries and encyclopedias offer apparently clear explanations, these are insufficient Read More
“Historical facts demonstrate that imperialists will commit any crime to protect their interests” — from the PLO film They Do Not Exist (1974) West and More West? If we consider that the prevalent understanding of “modernism” is the idea that encompasses a west or Euro-centric 19th Century perspective rooted in the Church, we can establish Read More
Since no one seems to have written about the power dynamics and agency of cellphones, I thought it would be interesting for me to bring it up. Cellphones are a relatively recent invention (if by recent I mean 42 years old with the first IBM Simon “smart phone” introduced in 1992 and the first iphone Read More