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The discipline of anthropology is, at its best, characterized by turbulence, self-examination, and inventiveness. In recent decades, new thinking and practice within the field has certainly reflected this pattern, as shown for example by numerous fruitful ventures into the \"politics and poetics\" of anthropology. Surprisingly little attention, however, has been given to the simple insight that anthropology is composed of claims, whether tacit or explicit, about anthropos and about logos--and the myriad ways in which these two Greek nouns have been, might be, and should be, connected.Anthropos Todayrepresents a pathbreaking effort to fill this gap. Paul Rabinow brings together years of distinguished work in this magisterial volume that seeks to reinvigorate the human sciences. Specifically, he assembles a set of conceptual tools--\"modern equipment\"--to assess how intellectual work is currently conducted and how it might change. Anthropos Todaycrystallizes Rabinow's previous ethnographic inquiries into the production of truth about life in the world of biotechnology and genome mapping (and his invention of new ways of practicing this pursuit), and his findings on how new practices of life, labor, and language have emerged and been institutionalized. Here, Rabinow steps back from empirical research in order to reflect on the conceptual and ethical resources available today to conduct such inquiries. Drawing richly on Foucault and many other thinkers including Weber and Dewey, Rabinow concludes that a \"contingent practice\" must be developed that focuses on \"events of problematization.\" Brilliantly synthesizing insights from American, French, and German traditions, he offers a lucid, deeply learned, original discussion of how one might best think about anthropos today.

YuriLotman was one of the most prominent and influential scholars ofthe twentieth century working in the Soviet Union. This approachable collectionof translations provides a primer to his vast intellectual legacy with a choiceof works that address contemporary concerns such as gender, memory,performance, world literature, and urban life.

01 02 In this introduction to the semiotic theory of one of the most innovative theorists of the twentieth century, the Russian literary scholar and semiotician Yuri Lotman, offers a new look at Lotman's profound legacy by conceptualizing his ideas in modern context and presenting them as a useful tool of cultural analysis. Semenenko demonstrates how Lotman's holistic theory, transcending the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines, offers a genuinely interdisciplinary approach to culture. This study covers a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence to the role of an individual in history. 31 02 An introduction to the theory of Russian literary scholar and semiotician Jurij Lotman. 13 02 Aleksei Semenenko is a research fellow in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Stockholm University. He holds a PhD in Russian Literature from Stockholm University. He is the author of Hamlet the Sign: Russian Translations ofHamlet and Literary Canon Formation (2007) and other research publications in semiotics, literature, and translation. 08 02 \"Aleksei Semenenko's book The Texture of Culture is dedicated to Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman (1922-1993), one of the most original and important thinkers and cultural scholars of the twentieth century. Yuri Lotman was a figure capable of combining the history of Russian cultural theory and creating its synthetic meta-language. Lotman's theory of semiotic mechanisms of culture discusses, for example, eternal unpredictability of human mind and cultural activity. In Semenenko's contextual treatment, Lotman's cultural theory proves inspiring and applicable even in understanding today's culture and human life.\" - Tomi Huttunen, professor of Russian Literature, University of Helsinki \"The first book in English to clearly and accessibly elucidate the complete oeuvre of Yuri Lotman, this penetrating, masterly exposition nimbly draws upon source material from various languages and disciplines - including philosophy, cybernetics, neuroscience, linguistics, and literary theory. It maps out the continuities and the nuances of Lotman's multivalent theories, assessing them both for their own time and for the promise they hold out for future development. An important and fascinating study of culture as an external representation of the mind.\" - Irena R. Makaryk, University of Ottawa and general editor and compiler, Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory 19 02 A FIRST: The first comprehensive introduction to Lotman's theory that includes his last books and archive materials. ACCESSIBLE: Addresses a broad readership and presents Lotman's semiotic theory of culture in a clear, accessible manner. COMPREHENSIVE: Develops Lotman's unique idea of culture as a reflection of human mind and covers a wide range of topical questions, such as: Is artificial intelligence possible? What is mind and how is it related to the brain? What is meaning? What is the role of an individual in history? What is myth? Why do we have favorite texts? 04 02 Contexts Culture as System Culture as Text Semiosphere Universal Mind Conclusion: The World as Text 02 02 In this introduction to the semiotic theory of one of the most innovative theorists of the twentieth century, the Russian literary scholar and semiotician Yuri Lotman, offers a new look at Lotman's profound legacy by conceptualizing his ideas in modern context and presenting them as a useful tool of cultural analysis.

Culture and Explosion, now appearing in English for the very first time, is the final book written by the legendary semiotician Juri Lotman. Originally published in Russian in 1992, a year before Lotman's death, the volume puts forth a fundamental theory: the semiotics of culture. Proceeding from a model of communication, Lotman extends the work of the renowned Tartu-Moscow school that he founded, showing not only how culture can be observed and described, but also how it can be governed and guided. In fact, as Lotman demonstrates with copious examples, the modelling system of culture has an immeasurably strong influence on the way that humans experience \"reality\". As usual, Lotman's erudition is brought to bear on the theory of culture, and the book comprises a host of well-chosen illustrations from history, literature, art and right across the humanities. The book is of interest to students and researchers in semiotics, cultural/literary studies and Russian studies, as well as anyone with an interest in understanding contemporary intellectual life.