BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:icalendar-ruby CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-WR-CALNAME:De-Signing Mnemaps: Configuring Cultures of Memory in the Digi tal Conjuncture X-WR-TIMEZONE:Pacific Time (US & Canada) BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20261011T051234Z UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_48587970172543 DTSTART:20250122T200000Z DTEND:20250122T211500Z DESCRIPTION:Join us at CESTA for an engaging talk exploring the concept of Mnemaps and their role in understanding mnemocultures by Stanford Humanit ies Center's "All This Rising" Lecture Series speaker Professor Venkat Rao . This presentation will delve into the idea of cultures of memory that su stain themselves through their unique formations\, even amidst the rise of surrogate inscriptional systems. The talk will propose a framework for as sembling Mnemaps—open-ended constellations of cultural clusters composed of dynamic and infinite units known as Jatis (in Sanskrit). These biocult ural formations emerge\, disperse\, and re-emerge endlessly\, embodying th e generative and dispersive impulses of cultural memory. RSVP to reserve l unch for this thought-provoking event or to receive the Zoom link here.\n\ nTalk Abstract\n\nA mnemap concerns the figuration of mnemocultures. Mnem ocultures are cultures of memory that sustain(ed) themselves primarily by putting to work their endowed formations even in the context of the ascend ant surrogate inscriptional formations. Mnemocultures generate and dissem inate “lively archives”. A Mnemap is an assemblage of cultural cluste rs and constellations. The proposed Mnemap assembles seven open-ended con stellations. Each constellation in turn is composed of countless formatio ns of clusters. Each such cluster in turn is composed of infinite “units ” that emerge\, disperse\, and disappear to re-emerge endlessly. Such un its (biocultural formations) are called Jatis (in Sanskrit). The generati ve and dispersive impulse of the assemblage cannot be confined to the cont ours of the map\, and it cannot be signed and owned. “Culture” and te rritory are not necessarily in isomorphic in relation.\n\nGiven that the u niversity of the humanities itself can be seen as an assemblage of shiftin g and heterogeneous multiplicity of units\, teaching and research touched by the impulse of the critical can see the university itself as a distinct ive space for an unforeseen interface: (i) For responsively receiving and responding to the implanted heritage of the humanities (of Europe/West) fr om the muted ends of its reception. (ii) Configuring the non-totalizable m nemocultural inheritances of the receiving ends of the university. This p resentation shares some thoughts and experiments concerning the possibilit ies of figuring such a trans-formative Mnemap of critical (from) humanitie s elsewhere. \n\nNote: Professor Rao will be giving an "All This Rising" l ecture on January 21st between 4 and 6 pm\, and he will give a workshop fo r graduate students titled "Sanskrit After the Sciences of the Human" on J anuary 23rd at 10:30 am. You can find more information about both events h ere.\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\nD. Venkat Rao teaches at the English and Fore ign Languages University\, Hyderabad\, India. His areas of interest includ e literary and cultural studies\, image studies\, epic traditions\, visual cultures\, comparative thought\, translation\, and mnemocultures. \n\nRao studied at the Kakatiya University\, Warangal\, and the University of Ken t at Canterbury. He did postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago \, the University of California\, Berkeley\, and the University of Washing ton\, Seattle. He has taught at various universities in India and at the U niversity of Washington. In addition to books in English and Telugu\, he h as published several articles in national and international journals. Rao' s recent work includes India\, Europe and the Question of Cultural Differe nce (Routledge\, 2021)\; Performative Reflections of Indian Traditions: To wards a Liveable Learning (Springer\, 2021)\; and Critical Humanities from India: Contexts\, Issues\, Futures (Routledge\, 2018). Other publications include Cultures of Memory in South Asia (Springer\, 2014)\, and In Citat ions: Readings in Area Studies of Culture (1999)\, a translation of Ashis Nandy’s Intimate Enemy into Telugu (2005). Earlier he translated into En glish a Telugu intellectual autobiography called The Last Brahmin (2007\, 2012\, 2017). He has a full-length work on literary-cultural criticism in Telugu entitled Saamskritika Chaanakyaalu (2005). He is the editor of the Routledge book series on Critical Humanities Across Cultures. GEO:37.427405;-122.1697 LOCATION:Building 160\, Wallenberg Hall\, Room 433A SUMMARY:De-Signing Mnemaps: Configuring Cultures of Memory in the Digital C onjuncture URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.stanford.edu/event/de-signing-mnemaps-configur ing-cultures-of-memory-in-the-digital-conjuncture CATEGORIES:Class/Seminar CATEGORIES:Lecture/Presentation/Talk END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR