Projects
- This site. Although I have biographical web presence at UCL, University of Leeds, and Syracuse University, I think it’s important to maintain a separate, independent portfolio like this one. Coded Variable also serves a double purpose: the iconographies I’ve gathered here, depicting 20th century wars in Algeria, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, are part of my doctoral research. They include depictions of reality and of fiction – some of the most culturally resonant images, the ones that strike a chord and through which our histories are mediated, are artistic interpretations of real world issues. The site will eventually be expanded to include a broader range of iconic images of real and fictional wars, and will serve as teaching aids for a course I’m developing on Insurgency, Politics and the Modern Imagination. Every effort has been and will be made to respect image copyright.
The Complex Terrain Laboratory
- I founded The Complex Terrain Laboratory (CTlab) in December 2007 as a way to encourage discussion and debate on problems of culture, conflict, and space. It’s evolved since then to cover a pretty wide range of conflict-related issues, and includes content from dozens of academic and non-academic contributors from around the world. Core content includes a multi-contributor blog, a reviews section, virtual symposia, and regular round-ups of links of interest. We’ve had positive feedback from academic colleagues interested in setting up similarly structured social media sites for their university-based institutes. Hurst & Co. Publishers, Routledge, and Penguin Press have each provided symposium sponsorship. We’re currently looking into the feasibility of conducting our symposia in Second Life, and publishing our content as hardcopy anthologies.