Media Archaeology and Media Genealogy
Chapter
Author(s) / editor(s):
J. J. Sylvia
Year: 2025
Abstract:
This chapter explores media archaeology and media genealogy as distinct yet complementary methods for analyzing digital culture outside linear historical narratives. Both approaches draw on Michel Foucault’s philosophical writings but emphasize different aspects. Media archaeology focuses on specific moments of epistemic change, tracing untaken paths and alternative media histories. Media genealogy analyzes transformations in media over a much longer period, drawing attention to the role of power, politics, and processes of subjectivation. The chapter highlights the development of this message, beginning in the work of scholars such as Friedrich Kittler, Erkki Huhtamo, and Jussi Parikka before considering feminist critiques and alternative genealogical approaches that foreground power relations and neglected voices in media history. These methods offer tools that can identify opportunities for both critical interventions and experimental engagements with contemporary media practices.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111316857-005
Post created by: interculture.de e.V.