A whale fall the carcass of a whale as it sits at the bottom of the ocean. A dead whale is a boon for local wildlife, and they swarm it in stages, sometimes reducing it to the bones in a matter of months, although the body can continue to be influential for decades. I first started… Continue reading Whale Falls: Making Opression Remote
Author: bierjess
Recap: Book Launch (with Audio)
Yesterday we launched Mapping Israel, Mapping Palestine at the University of Amsterdam! It went very well, and I'm thankful to to everyone who joined us, as well as those who couldn't come but sent along their good wishes beforehand. Here you can access the audio and my slides for the event. (Also see the additional… Continue reading Recap: Book Launch (with Audio)
Recap: WTMC Annual Meeting
Annalisa Pelizza and Chunglin Kwa graciously commented on my book, Mapping Israel, Mapping Palestine during the annual meeting of the WTMC. Among other things, we discussed the politics of symmetry as it is used in science and technology studies (STS); STS literature from the 1980s that already moved away from the lab-field dichotomy; the differences between sumud… Continue reading Recap: WTMC Annual Meeting
This blog is a collection of research updates, rough ideas, and harebrained schemes that I won't have a chance to work through in the near future. I'll publish some of these eventually if there's time. My more polished work can be found via the "Publications" link in the menu at top right. Topics include: … Continue reading
Orcing the Other
The Power Dynamics of Role Playing The celebrated author N.K. Jemisin has written about her problem with orcs, which is related to the ways that orcs build on racist stereotypes. In her words: "Think about that. Creatures that look like people, but aren’t really. Kinda-sorta-people, who aren’t worthy of even the most basic moral considerations, like the… Continue reading Orcing the Other
The book exists!
My first book, Mapping Israel, Mapping Palestine: How Occupied Landscapes Shape Scientific Knowledge has just been published by the MIT Press. The MIT page has a summary and quotes from Laleh Khalili and Stefan Helmreich, two people whose work I really admire. The book is available online via independent bookstores in the Netherlands and the US, and it's… Continue reading The book exists!
Student of Segregation
An Israeli Professor's Trip through the Jim Crow South I've been thinking about the international circulation of racist expertise. James Q. Whitman has published a new book, Hitler's American Model. It's about how the Nazis of the 1930s and 1940s studied the racist legal system of the United States as part of their efforts to take away the rights of… Continue reading Student of Segregation
Feminizing Urban Studies
Last week Marguerite van den Berg organized the excellent workshop, "Feminizing the City?" at the University of Amsterdam with Linda Peake, who also gave a lecture. The workshop focused on the (lack of) overlap between urban studies and feminist theory, and Willem Boterman and I were the discussants. During the workshop, Linda Peake spoke about her important… Continue reading Feminizing Urban Studies
Magical Minions
Update: For a related post on orcs, see this related post, Orcing the Other. Magical Minions: Dominance and Diversity in the US Popular Media Privilege and Performativity Privilege is a complex concept that has different meanings in specific contexts. I’m just back from the Judith Butler conference at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and one of… Continue reading Magical Minions
The Feminizing City?
Check out this great workshop and lecture (May 18, Amsterdam) on post-Fordist gender, labor, and the city with Linda Peake, organized by Marguerite van den Berg & Carmen Ferri. Willem Boterman and I will be responding. For the workshop, email registration is required, and instructions are here. Entry is free, and lunch and coffee will be provided.… Continue reading The Feminizing City?
Jess Bier 