Material Transactions, Incorporeal Transformations. Cultural Techniques and the Tangle of the Universe

**Course information is only available in English.**

Magic, religion, art, along with elementary cultural techniques such as writing, picture-making, or computing, can be described as efficacious actions interwoven into the intricate fabric of the universe they intend to organize. While eminently material on one hand, they also facilitate a multitude of incorporeal transformations on the other, e.g., by bearing a name, leaving a trace, drawing a circle, wearing a mask, getting married, owning a secret…

In dialogue with experts from different fields, the course examines the cultural techniques that traverse this ontological borderland, inquires about the operational chains that define them, and embarks on a zigzagging journey between the Old and New Worlds.

The online part of the course will provide a first orientation, insights into the basic literature and a platform to start the dialogue. The in-class part will dive into and deepen the understanding of selected case-studies, provide guest-lectures by leading researches from diverse fields, and combine theoretical discussions with a hands-on approach.

NOTE:
This course includes an attendance phase in Weimar from March 14 to March 23, 2024.