Ghosts and Their Hosts: The Colonization of the Spirit World
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm CET/GMT+1P24 SR8
with Sladja Blazan
Marking a critical distinction between history and the past, ghosts have played foundational roles in establishing the transatlantic cultural imaginary, with stories offering a medium for framing political ideologies, philosophical thought, racial anxieties, and social concerns. The study analyses early transatlantic "spectrology" in its relation to modern conceptualizations of subjectivity and moral theory to demonstrate its function as a colonial tool for justifying land appropriation and the exploitation of human labor.
This lecture is open to faculty and staff. It is presented by Dr. Sladja Blazan as part of the Faculty Colloquium series, organized by Gale Raj-Reichert, Ewa Atanassow, and Nina Tecklenburg.