by Brian Bergen-Aurand At a time when the state seems pervasive and inescapable, it is easy to forget that for much of history, living within or outside the state–or in an intermediate zone–was a choice, one that might be revised as the circumstances warranted. A wealthy and peaceful state center might attract a growing population … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2014
“Once I’ve devoured your soul, we are neither animal nor human.”
by Brian Bergen-Aurand Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2004 Tropical Malady (Sud pralad) is a film that essays much of what concerns those of us who work at the intersection of Film Studies and Body Studies. In Tropical Malady a young soldier, Keng (Banlop Lomnoi), falls in love with a young man from the country, Tong … Continue reading
The Organization of Gender & Sexuality Across Time and Place
by Brian Bergen-Aurand Gender and sexuality are located in time and place. While the two are not just one thing, never the same thing, and should never be conflated, they remain entangled and mutually constituted. These two points organize the essays collected in Historicising Gender and Sexuality, edited by Kevin P. Murphy and Jennifer M. … Continue reading
Foreign Influence 