COLLECTIVE RESISTANCE
A thought on
Critical Unmaking Toward a Queer Computation. 2018
Jacob Gaboury
Toward A Theory of Parasitical Resistance. In the Play in the System: The Art of Parasitical Resistance. 2020
Fisher Ann Watkins
// several of the terms and definitions in these texts were new to me, so I need to dig deeper and hunt for more meaning! I just posted a few rough ideas here//
Over the past few decades, academics have explored the intersection of technology and identity. I explored the concept of “future and resistance” through these two papers and two other resources, which include critical unmaking, queer gaming, parasitical resistance, and glitch and error in digital culture, as presented in the works of Gaboury, Halberstam, Fisher, and Krapp.
In “Critical Unmaking Toward a Queer Computation,” Gaboury argues that we can resist dominant power structures by unmaking. Gaboury explores how technology and computation can reinforce heteronormative and patriarchal values, while also challenging them. Gaboury mentioned that the queer potential of computation lies in the unmaking of existing technologies as well as the invention of new queer technologies. (Gaboury, 2018). As part of this unmaking, oppressive structures can be dismantled, but there can also be intentional glitches or errors that disrupt those structures intentionally.
Halberstam’s “Queer Gaming: Gaming, Hacking, and Going Gaga” explores how queer gamers and hackers have used gaming to resist. As Halberstam notes, queer games are frequently seen as interruptions or glitches in the normal programming of the gaming world (Halberstam, 2013). This disruption can take the form of subversive gameplay or the creation of alternative gaming communities. According to Halberstam, hacking is also a form of resistance, since it involves the use of technical knowledge and access to systems to create new configurations and possibilities.
In his “Introduction: Towards a Theory of Parasitical Resistance,” Fisher explores the concept of parasitical resistance, which involves the strategic appropriation and reconfiguration of the very systems that oppress and exploit us (Fisher, 2020). In Fisher’s view, parasitical resistance involves appropriating, manipulating, and transforming existing systems to serve the parasite’s interests. From creating alternative economies to repurposing surveillance technologies, resistance can take many forms.
Krapp’s “Noise Channels: Glitch and Error in Digital Culture” examines how glitches and errors can disrupt and create digital culture. Krapp (2011) argues that glitch operates within digital media as a form of resistance and critique that exposes the underlying structures and assumptions of media technologies. When a system malfunction exposes its underlying assumptions or biases, this resistance can take the form of intentional glitch art.
This collection of works illustrates the multiple ways in which resistance and the future are intertwined in the digital era. Individuals and communities are finding ways to resist dominant power structures and envision new futures through critical unmaking, queer gaming, parasitical resistance, and glitch and error. As Gaboury points out, queer computation is not only a critique of what currently exists but also a proposal for new worlds. In other words, the future is never predetermined but is constantly reshaped and shaped by acts of resistance and creation.
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. Gaboury, J. (2018). Critical Unmaking Toward a Queer Computation. In J. Sayers (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to media studies and digital humanities (1st ed., pp. 483–491). Routledge.
. Fisher, A. W. (2020). Introduction: Towards a Theory of Parasitical Resistance. In The play in the system: The art of parasitical resistance (pp. 1-38). Duke University Press.