The Elements series at Duke University Press assembles inquiries into the material substrates that constitute and permeate human life and our environment. Spanning disciplines and historical eras, series authors attend to elements as forces that shape culture, politics, and communication.

On March 1, we bring together past and future authors of elemental works. We celebrate contributions from the past five years, preview the cutting-edge of the field, and ask: what is elemental analysis today?

Elements Schedule (click for a link to a pdf)

Session 2.1 (9:00-9:30)
Elements
a conversation with Stacy Alaimo, Courtney Berger, and Nicole Starosielski

Session 2.2 (9:30-10:30)
HEAT, FIRE, TRANSFORMATION
a conversation with Alexander Arroyo, Daniel Fisher, Dimitris Papadopoulos, and Nicole Starosielski

Session 2.3 (10:45-11:45)
Future Elements I
Alexander Arroyo, “Toward a Xenocartography of Fire,” Alex Saum-Pascual, “Elemental Forms / Formal Elements,” Sam Kellogg, “Topographesis: Composing Earth,” Julia Huggins, “Politics of Scatter: Dust and Forensic Media”

12:00-1:15 LUNCH

Session 2.4 (1:15-2:15)
COOLING, ICE, DRIFT
a conversation with Courtney Berger, Hi‘ilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart, and Jen Rose Smith

Session 2.5 (2:30-3:30)
Future Elements II
Megan Wiessner, “Digital Timber: Remediating Resource Economies and Automating Sustainable Futures,” Madeleine Mendell, “DNA in the Archive: Material Consequence of an Immortal Media,” Nick Silcox, “Fluid Dynamics: Sensing Pressure in the Digital Ocean,” Megan Hayes, “How to Love an Oyster”

Session 2.5 (3:45-4:45)
WATER, OCEANS, SATURATION
a conversation with Stacy Alaimo, Yuriko Furuhata, and Melody Jue