Soytek: Fuzzy Force. Po(i)etics of Indeterminacy in Modern Theory and Literature
Dr. Julia Soytek: Fuzzy Force. Po(i)etics of Indeterminacy in Modern Theory and Literature
There seems to be a recurring theme in historical conceptualizations of forces: while forces can be perceived by their effects, their modus operandi eludes observation. In other words: forces notoriously lack determinacy.
With the onset of modernity, this ‘lack’ has been subject to pronounced criticism by the mathematized natural sciences. Literature and aesthetics, however, seem to follow a different path. Within this context, we not only observe an increased interest in the ‘opacity’ of forces, but also witness the emergence of poetics and concepts where indeterminacy becomes a pivotal po(i)etic mode.
Building upon this hypothesis, my study examines the nexus between force and indeterminacy (primarily) from the 20th century onward. Particular attention will be paid to the potential of indeterminacy to foster transgressive social connectivity. This may bring into focus aesthetic phenomena, such as Dadaism, where antagonistic notions of force are transformed into transnational forms of community through a broad spectrum of poetic indeterminacy. Moreover, my hypothesis suggests a re-reading of theoretical concepts that posit aesthetic and (trans-)cultural forces as inherently indeterminate (e.g., in the works of R. Ingarden or J. Lotman). This can raise additional questions about the latency of aesthetic conceptualizations in scientific theory and may draw attention to recent theoretical phenomena, such as New Materialism, where an ontological entanglement of (posthuman) sociality, force, and indeterminacy is supposedly grounded in scientific paradigms but appears to be significantly rooted in aesthetic practices.