Hollin, GJS, Forsyth, I, Giraud, EHS and Potts, T (2017) (Dis)entangling Barad: Materialisms and Ethics. Social Studies of Science, 47 (6). pp. 918-941. ISSN 0306-3127

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Abstract

In the wake of the widespread uptake of and debate surrounding the work of Karen Barad, this article revisits her core conceptual contributions. We offer descriptions, elaborations, problematizations and provocations for those intrigued by or invested in this body of work. We examine Barad’s use of quantum physics, which underpins her conception of the material world. We discuss the political strengths of this position but also note tensions associated with applying quantum physics to phenomena at macro-scales. We identify both frictions and unacknowledged affinities with science and technology studies in Barad’s critique of reflexivity and her concept of diffraction. We flesh out Barad’s overarching position of ‘agential realism’, which contains a revised understanding of scientific apparatuses. Building upon these discussions, we argue that inherent in agential realism is both an ethics of inclusion and an ethics of exclusion. Existing research has, however, frequently emphasized entanglement and inclusion to the detriment of foreclosure and exclusion. Nonetheless, we contend that it is in the potential for an ethics of exclusion that Barad’s work could be of greatest utility within science and technology studies and beyond.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is the accepted author manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Sage Publications at https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312717728344 - please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
Uncontrolled Keywords: cultural theory, ethics, Karen Barad, new materialism, ontology, quantum physics
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Science and Public Policy
Depositing User: Symplectic
Date Deposited: 10 Aug 2017 09:13
Last Modified: 20 Apr 2018 15:14
URI: https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/3892

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