Immaterial Bodies: Affect, Embodiment, Mediation

Description

Immaterial Bodies: Affect, Embodiment, Mediation by Lisa Blackman is a thought-provoking exploration of how contemporary theories of affect, embodiment, and mediation challenge traditional understandings of the body. Blackman critically engages with interdisciplinary perspectives from psychology, cultural studies, media theory, and philosophy to examine how bodies are not simply material entities but are shaped by forces that are often unseen, unconscious, or technologically mediated. At the heart of the book is the question: How do we account for bodily experiences that seem to transcend traditional scientific explanations? Blackman investigates phenomena such as telepathy, suggestion, hypnosis, voice-hearing, and psychosomatic illness, showing how these experiences challenge the rigid divide between mind and body. She argues that contemporary research in affect theory, neuroscience, and posthumanism reveals a more fluid, porous, and interconnected understanding of embodiment—one where emotions, media, and social relations are deeply entangled with bodily being. Blackman draws on thinkers such as Henri Bergson, Gilles Deleuze, and Félix Guattari to explore how affect operates beyond individual consciousness, shaping collective experiences and identities. She also engages with feminist and queer theories to highlight how power structures shape how bodies are perceived, controlled, and disciplined. A key argument in the book is that mediation—through media technologies, institutions, and cultural narratives—plays a crucial role in how bodies are experienced and understood in contemporary society. With its innovative approach and rigorous analysis, Immaterial Bodies is an essential text for scholars and students interested in affect theory, embodiment, and media studies. Blackman’s work challenges readers to rethink the boundaries between the material and the immaterial, the self and the other, and the ways in which bodies are continuously shaped by forces beyond individual control.