Theoretical and historical perspectives / Perspectives théoriques et historiques #2

Theoretical and historical perspectives / Perspectives théoriques et historiques #2

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Society & Culture JBCCCultural studiesJBCC9History of ideas
🎙 Various speakers (Lai-Tze Fan, Jari Kauppinen, Aaron Finbloom, Philippe Theophanidis) 👥 318 📅 May 18, 2017 ⏱ 121 min 👁 180 📄 original study 🧭 2026-10-10
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

intermedialitydematerializationremediationmaterialitymedia ecology

Summary

This video records a panel from the 3rd International Colloquium of the International Society for Intermedial Studies, held at the Université de Montréal in May 2017. The first and most extensive presentation is by Lai-Tze Fan, who explores the concept of intermediality in the context of digital media, arguing that digital representation flattens medial differences. She draws on Benjamin’s aura, Kittler’s discourse networks, and Bolter and Grusin’s remediation to theorize dematerialization. Fan introduces the notion of ‘intermedial encounter’ as opposed to fusion, emphasizing dissonance and material awareness. She illustrates her argument with the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, where photographs and paper texture create haptic effects that highlight medial difference. A Q&A session follows, addressing materiality, media specificity, and the relationship between digital and analog noise. The other three presentations are only briefly introduced but not fully transcribed, though the panel includes talks on voice, graphemes/phonemes, and mediation as spacing.

155 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The presentation offers a sophisticated and original theoretical framework, connecting historical media theories to contemporary digital practices. Fan’s argument is well-structured, moving from general concepts to a concrete literary example, and she convincingly demonstrates how intermedial references rely on difference rather than fusion. The discussion adds depth, especially on materiality as including infrastructure and global economics. The argumentation is coherent, though some claims could benefit from more empirical backing. The other speakers are not developed in this transcript, so the value is concentrated on the first talk.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The talk cites key scholars such as Benjamin, Kittler, Bolter and Grusin, Higgins, and Rajewsky, showing a solid academic grounding. The source link provided (isis2017.digitaltextualities.ca) is the conference website, which contextualizes the event. The title accurately represents the content, as the session focuses on theoretical and historical perspectives. No external verification is possible due to limited citations, but the internal logic and references are credible.

167 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the panel's focus on theoretical and historical perspectives on intermediality.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The video presents rigorous academic presentations from a colloquium, with clear theoretical arguments and references to established scholars (Benjamin, Bolter and Grusin, Kittler, etc.). The content is specialized and coherent, but the recording quality and lack of visual aids limit full verification.

Key Moments

Cited Sources

  • International Society for Intermedial Studies - 3rd International Colloquium — Official website of the colloquium where the presentation took place.

Contribution & Novelties

The presentation contributes a nuanced reinterpretation of intermediality as encounter rather than fusion, emphasizing the role of material awareness and dissonance. It bridges literary studies and media theory, offering a method for analyzing intermedial references that preserves medial difference. The concept of ‘spaces of erasure’ is a novel step.

Pour aller plus loin :

88 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores in quantitative information and technical level, with moderate reliability. This indicates a dense, expert-level lecture that is intellectually stimulating but not easily accessible to a general audience. The balance between quality and quantity is strong, but the single-talk focus limits breadth.

Reliability 7/10