Speculative Worlds writing workshop in Gothenburg

Speculative Worlds: a Writing Workshop is coming to the STS group at University of Gothenburg, Department of Sociology and Work Science.

19 May 2017
Full day workshop

Workshop Outline

“SF is that potent material-semiotic sign for the riches of speculative fabulation, speculative feminism, science fiction, speculative fiction, science fact, science fantasy… SF practice is a model for worlding.” So said Donna Haraway, feminist theorist of technoscience. Speculative worlds are not fictions, but are part of what she calls, “the tight coupling of writing and research—where both terms require the factual, fictional, and fabulated; where both terms are materialized in fiction and scholarship.” Writing is an essential part of how that world-making practice occurs. It is always both factual and fabulated. Writing is part of the apparatus we use for world-making experiments known as research.

This is a practice-based writing workshop for participants to explore diverse writing methods. Students will produce experimental pieces of writing based on their research. This will be a supportive place for PhD researchers to generate speculative writing, using techniques drawn from, not just science studies (STS), but also literature and poetry. We will also consider how these speculative worlds can diffract and alter empirical research. What futures might be materialised otherwise?

As some may know, I have run this writing workshop in different forms over the years. This particular workshop is for PhD students. If you are interested in participating then please contact Linda Soneryd, Senior Lecturer at University of Gothenburg.