Talk by Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan: Colonialism, eugenics, and the making of cybernetics

The Inhuman Sciences: Colonialism, eugenics, and the making of cybernetics 

Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan is a Reader in the History and Theory of Digital Media at King’s College London. An overarching theme of his research is how “cultural” sciences shape—and are shaped by—digital technologies. This interest spans his work as a writer, curator, and teacher. He can be reached online at www.bernardg.com.

Abstract:
The “human” at the center of the humanities seems uncertain. Advances in “big data” and “cultural analytics” chip away at established methods in the humanities. Meanwhile, decolonial and indigenous studies remind us how exclusionary the humanism orienting the humanities really is. Drawing on findings from Geoghegan’s recently published Code: From Information Theory to French Theory (Duke, 2023), this talk situates these critiques as part of a larger, century-long effort by progressive intellectuals to reform the humanities with knowledge from computing and indigenous culture. In particular, Geoghegan shows how movements such as “cybernetics” and “French theory” sought—with mixed results—to bring digital media and indigenous knowledge into the ethical outlooks of the human sciences.  That effort remains an enduring but often overlooked component in efforts to establish digital and decolonial humanities today.