Overview
This lecture explores the concept of "intra-action" as defined by Karen Barad, contrasting it with traditional "interaction," and examines its implications for agency, relationships, and responsibility using the Ebola phenomenon as an example.
Interaction vs. Intra-action
- Karen Barad defines "intra-action" as the mutual constitution of entangled agencies (entities' abilities to act).
- Agency is the capacity or ability to act.
- "Inter-" means among or between; "intra-" means within.
- Interaction refers to independent entities coming together, each existing beforehand.
- Intra-action suggests entities do not pre-exist separately but emerge through relationships.
Implications of Intra-action
- Intra-action changes how we understand relationships with people, materials, nature, and discourses.
- Agency emerges within relationships, not outside them.
- Responsibility for outcomes is distributed among all entities involved in intra-actions.
- Ethics and justice are seen as continually evolving, not fixed.
Ebola Phenomenon Example
- The Ebola phenomenon is shaped by the virus interacting with human and non-human actors.
- The phenomenon includes bodies, discourses, politics, media, and public fear.
- Interactions create new roles: afflicted/non-afflicted, at risk/not at risk, exposed/unexposed.
- Responsibility for the phenomenon is shared by all actors, not just those directly encountering the virus.
Rethinking Boundaries and Responsibility
- Intra-action challenges cause/effect thinking and subject/object distinctions.
- Encourages thinking beyond fixed boundaries and linear time.
- Highlights the constructed nature of disciplines and categories.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Agency — the ability or capacity to act.
- Interaction — engagement between independent entities that pre-exist the event of their meeting.
- Intra-action — the process through which entities and their capacities are mutually constituted in relationships.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on examples where agency emerges from relationships, not individuals.
- Consider how intra-action changes perspectives on responsibility in current events.
- Prepare to discuss implications of intra-action for ethics and justice in the next class.