In today's world, Non-representational theory has become a relevant topic of great interest to a wide audience. The impact of Non-representational theory has been felt in different areas of society, from politics to culture, economics and technology. Its influence has no limits and its presence becomes increasingly evident in everyday life. In this article, we will thoroughly explore the phenomenon of Non-representational theory and analyze its implications in today's society.
This article may be written in a style that is too abstract to be readily understandable by general audiences. (April 2023) |
Non-representational theory is the study of a specific theory focused on human geography. It is the work of Nigel Thrift (Warwick University). The theory is based on using social theory, conducting geographical research, and the 'embodied experience.'
Instead of studying and representing social relationships, non-representational theory focuses upon practices – how human and nonhuman formations are enacted or performed – not simply on what is produced. "First, it valorizes those processes that operate before … conscious, reflective thought … second, it insists on the necessity of not prioritizing representations as the primary epistemological vehicles through which knowledge is extracted from the world". Recent studies have examined a wide range of activities including dance, musical performance, walking, gardening, rave, listening to music and children's play.
This is a post-structuralist theory inspired in part by the ideas of the physicist-philosopher Niels Bohr, and thinkers such as Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Bruno Latour, Michel Serres and Karen Barad, and by phenomenonologists such as Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. More recently it considers views from political science (including ideas about radical democracy) and anthropological discussions of the material dimensions of human life.[citation needed] It parallels the conception of "hybrid geographies" developed by Sarah Whatmore.
Critics have suggested that Thrift's use of the term "non-representational theory" is problematic, and that other non-representational theories could be developed. Richard G. Smith said that Baudrillard's work could be considered a "non-representational theory", for example, which has fostered some debate.[citation needed] In 2005, Hayden Lorimer (Glasgow University) said that the term "more-than-representational" was preferable.