Conference: The Nonhuman Turn in the 21st Century, Milwaukee, 4-5 May 2012

"What is 21st Century Studies?" In response to this thematic question posed by and for the Center for 21st Century Studies, the Center has organised an impressive, three-day conference entitled "The Nonhuman Turn Conference", to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 3-5 May of this year. Exploring and interrogating the nonhuman turn that the organisers identify as "emerging in the arts, humanities, and social sciences over the past few decades" via thinkers such as Latour, Deleuze, Haraway and DeLanda; by recent developments in the brain sciences and new media theory; and through the growing popularity of strands of new materialist philosophies, speculative realism, and systems theory.

"Such varied analytical and theoretical formations obviously diverge and disagree in many of their aims, objects, and methodologies. But they are all of a piece in taking up aspects of the nonhuman as critical to the future of 21st century studies in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The conference is meant to address the future of 21st century studies by exploring how the nonhuman turn might provide a way forward for the arts, humanities, and social sciences in light of the difficult challenges of the 21st century."

An amazing schedule has recently been released for the conference, featuring an extensive array of keynote presenters. Those lucky enough to be able to attend will be able to listen to the likes of Jane Bennett, Ian Bogost, Wendy Chun, Mark Hansen, Erin Manning, Brian Massumi, Tim Morton and Steven Shaviro. We here at BiM look forward to posting on the recordings of these lectures if and when they become available.