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Affect, Politics, Ontology Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Woodward, Keith Adam Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 04/10/2021 19:19:58 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195189 AFFECT, POLITICS, ONTOLOGY By Keith Woodward ____________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN GEOGRAPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2007 2 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Keith Woodward entitled Affect, Politics, Ontology and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ____________________________________________________DATE: 12/8/06 John Paul Jones III ____________________________________________________DATE: 12/8/06 Sallie A. Marston ____________________________________________________DATE: 12/8/06 Anna J. Secor ____________________________________________________DATE: 12/8/06 Miranda Joseph Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ____________________________________________________DATE: 12/8/06 Dissertation Director: John Paul Jones III 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: KEITH WOODWARD 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Someone once told me that the best research ideas always happen at the bar… Early on, while in a position appropriate to that advice, I had conceived of this dissertation as a science fiction novel. I was fortunate enough to have a committee who not only talked me out of this, but who were endlessly enthusiastic about and supportive of what would become the final product. JP Jones is a great friend and brilliant advisor. What follows is largely the result of his kindness, his generosity, and (at points that I won’t spotlight here) his humor. He wasn’t afraid to explore strange theory: he taught me how to write it. Sure: pedagogically, he’s all about swimming…but then, I was swimming in Oregon when my life changed. It may not work for everyone but it certainly did for me. And in the final tally, Sallie Marston really was co-advisor on this project. Her wisdom, curiosity, friendship, and hipness were constants throughout and constituted stabilizing forces amongst the endless chaos of the past three years. Plus, she let me borrow her car, which is awesome. The desire (if not quite the practice) to make my prose beautiful and rigorous arose from working with and reading Anna Secor and Miranda Joseph. Both poets and philosophers, their conversations, warmth, and friendship have been invaluable. This work has further benefited from comments and critiques by: Ben Anderson, Ed Carr, Vinnie Del Casino, Deborah Dixon, Marcia England, Paul Harrison, Paul Kingsbury, Jen Leah, Brian Marks, Danny Mayer, John Protevi, Paul Robbins, Sue Ruddick, Ted Schatzki, Neil Smith, Joel Wainwright. Danny, Marcia, Scott & Jeff have been and continue to be great friends. Jen McCormack, for Easy Reader and The Bloodhound Gang, a cheese addiction, the wiggle, Red Rocks Bar and Grill, the hegemony of Nikki in Estes Park, a train ride to Totnes, a trailer in Bisbee, and so much more: thank you. In Tucson, I spent too much time at Che’s Lounge with: Jim, Jill, Aaron, Amy, Billy, Donovan, Katie, and Tim. And JP, Sallie, Heidi, Candace, J-Patch, Jeff, Scoot, JJurg, Jennn, Katie, Kiza, Dereka, Derek, Jessie, Brian, Patrick, and Vania. Of course, Curtis, Lou and the Fabulous DeRos Sisters were there, too, when not submerged in backyard hot tubs full of dish soap. In Lexington, I was with Danny & Julie, Jen, Marcia & Stephanie, Sean & Anna, John & Rachel, Anna & Josh, Sue & Rich, Paul & Melinda, Jason M, Matts M & G, Kenny P, Hurricane Karl & Brandon chatting at Lynagh’s & Two Keys & Pazzo’s, and overlooking Marcia’s freshly mown lawn & Danny’s surprisingly well- built bocce court. Thanks to the beautiful people whose doors I’ve darkened, especially: Justin and Jessa Woodward, who let me crash for two months at the Double J Corral, built a hitch for the horses, and never once let on that there wasn’t enough room in that place for the three of us; Ryan Woodward, who let me crash for two RNC-filled weeks amidst China Town morningsmells and anti-capitalist kitchenette carryout; and of course, Mom & Dad for everything: nuff said. I love you all. Finally, many thanks to the activists with whom I spoke, marched, sat, yelled, and ran at the RNC. 5 DEDICATION for ella 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………9 ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………10 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….11 Ontological and Epistemological Turnings……………………………………..18 How to do Geography with a Hammer……….………………………………...21 Gestures and Genuflections to Geography …………………………………….30 Topology and Difference………………………………………………………35 PRESENT STUDY………………………………………………………..…..…39 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………..49 APPENDIX A: ON THE BORDER WITH DELEUZE AND GUATTARI.…..53 Introduction……………………………………………………………………55 The limits of metaphor: Becoming as materiality……………………………….57 (De)territoriality and the many sides of the border……………………………..59 Todos Somos Ilegales: La Resistencia in the Southwest U.S. ………………………...61 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..65 References………………………………………….…………………………..66 APPENDIX B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY WITHOUT SCALE……….…..……..69 Introduction……………………………………………………………………71 Complexifying Scale……………………………………………………………74 Critiquing Scale…………………………………………………………….…...81 Notes for a Flat Ontology…………………………………………………..…..89 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED Flowsters and other Globetrotters…………………………………………………90 A Flat Alternative……………………………………………………………..94 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………100 Acknowledgements……………………………………………………....……104 Notes………………………………………………………………….………105 References…………………………………………………………….………109 APPENDIX C: SPATIAL ONTOLOGIES OF GLOBALIZATION…….……118 Introduction…………………………………………………………..………118 Up and Down and Back and Forth with the Local-Global….…………………122 A Site Ontology…………………………….…………………………………131 Nollywood: A Social Site………………………..……………..………………138 Practices………………………………………………………………...……140 Percepts and Affects………………………………………………………..…..147 Conclusion……………………………………………….………..……..……151 Acknowledgements………………………………………..……..……………155 References……………………………..……..……..…………………………156 APPENDIX D: AFFECT, STATE THEORY, AND THE POLITICS OF CONFUSION………………..…….……………………………………………161 Introduction……………………………..……..……..…….…………………161 Relating Affect and Emotion………..……..……..……………………………164 Affectivo-emotive Geographies……….………………………………………170 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED The State Affect…………..……..…….………………………………………177 The Politics of Confusion………..……………………………………………185 Conclusion…………………..………..………………………….……………192 References……………………………….……………………………………197 APPENDIX E: PSYCHO-PRAGMATISM AND THE WORK OF NOT REPRESENTING…………..……..……………………………………………208 Introduction: language and life……..……..……………………..…….………209 Affect and communication, or, from “how does it work” to “does it work for someone?”……………………………………………………………………215 Enjoy your neoconservativism! ………..……..……..……..……..……………227 Conclusions, pending questions, and unfinished business…..……..…..………239 References……………..…..….………………………………………………243 APPENDIX F: DISTRIBUTED AFFINITIES, CONFUSED FIDELITIES, AND THE AFFECTS OF DIRECT ACTION………..………………………………248 Introduction……..…..…..…..…..…..…………………………………………248 Social Movements and Affinities in Place…..….………………………………252 Confused Fidelities……………………………………………..….….….……261 Distributed Affinities……………………..…..….….…………………………269 Conclusion: The Affects of Direct Action…………………………………..…275 References……………………………..…..…..………..…..…………………279 9 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: Ontological and epistemological trajectories of the recent schools in the history of geographic thought……………………………………………………..30 10 ABSTRACT The relationship between politics and ontology has long been a troubled one for geography. More recently, the emergence of affect theory has complicated things even further by introducing a new set of frequently vague concepts into the already cluttered theoretical field of critical geography. This dissertation collects six articles that