Key research themes
1. How does mimesis function as a foundational epistemological and affective mode of knowing across human and non-human interactions?
This theme investigates mimesis not simply as imitation or representation but as a dynamic mode of knowledge acquisition that underpins affective contagion and interspecies communication. It explores how mimicry transcends sensory modalities to create embodied and responsive engagements that facilitate understanding of both human and non-human life forms, thus positioning mimesis as a vital epistemic and relational conduit rather than mere copying.
2. What is the role of mimesis in shaping subjectivity, ethics, and relational identity within social and literary contexts?
This theme explores mimesis as a constitutive mechanism in forming subjectivity, social ethics, desire, and recognition. It considers the mimetic reproduction of emotions, desires, and behaviors as foundational to relational identity and moral evaluation. Moreover, it investigates literary mimesis’s capacity to generate emotional contagion and catharsis, reflecting on the tensions between imitation and originality, conformity and fictionality, as well as mimetic desire’s ambivalence in love, ethics, and social recognition.
3. How does mimesis operate as a complex, medium-specific artistic and cultural practice transforming traditional notions of representation and technique?
This theme addresses mimesis within aesthetic and artistic discourse, scrutinizing how various historical and philosophical traditions conceive mimesis as deep formalism, productive opacity, or as distinct artistic modes that transcend mere copying or representation. It covers the evolution from ancient conceptions emphasizing lifelikeness and technical mastery to modernist challenges to mimetic transparency, including media's role in constructing reality and the institutional and material aspects that condition mimesis in art, architecture, and media.