The Culture, Technology, and Ethics of Virtuous War
Dr. James Der Derian
Thursday 21st January 2010
7-9pm
Theatre Room
Marriott Hotel Eaton Centre
525 Bay Street
Toronto
(Free Admission)
Questions of war and peace are now framed by technological, cultural, and
ethical imperatives. From the Gulf War to the Iraq War, the United States
perfected new technologies, under the auspices of a ?revolution in
military affairs?, to fight virtuous wars. Technology in the service of
virtue gave rise to a new configuration of virtual power, the
military-industrial-media-entertainment network. After winning the short
battle of
?shock and awe? in Iraq but losing the long war to bring democracy and
peace to the Middle East, the U.S. military began a controversial program
to ?operationalize? culture as an instrument of counterinsurgency and
counterterrorism; anthropologists, political scientists and
anthropologists are enlisted in the effort. As war goes virtual and
cultural in the name of justice, unintended and tragic consequences
result.
Dr. James Der Derian is Research Professor of International Studies at
Brown University, where he directs the Innovating Global Security and
Media Project at the Watson Institute for International Studies. His
recent publications include, Virtuous War: Mapping the
Military-Industrial-Media-Entertainment Network, New York (Routledge,
2009); Critical Practices in International Theory (Routledge, 2009), and
AntiDiplomacy: Spies, Terror, Speed, & War (Blackwell, 1992). He is also
the producer of three documentary films, VirtualY2K (2000), After 9/11
(2003) and Human Terrain (2009).
No pre-registeration is required for this event.
For further details on this event please see:
http://www.yorku.ca/yciss/news/upcoming.html
