Staff Profile

Dr Ben Anderson

Lecturer in the Department of Geography

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 41897

Fax: +44 (0)191 33 41801

Room number: 322

Contact (email at ben.anderson@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

Ben Anderson is a lecturer in Human Geography. Before arriving in Durham in September 2004 he completed a PhD at Sheffield University. He currently convenes the Social-Spatial Theory research cluster in the Department and is on the editorial boards of Social and Cultural Geography and Emotion, Society and Space.
His current research revolves around three area:

1: Affect and Emotion
An ongoing interest in theories of affect and emotion and their consequence for what contemporary social and cultural geography is and does (initially through work on recorded music and specific affects such as hope and boredom). This research has developed into a medium term project on the imbrication of specific affects/emotions with the different processes of militarization and securitization that make up the ‘War on Terror’ (such as morale and panic in U.S military airpower strategy or stress and boredom in preparedness planning).

2: Matter and Materiality
An interest in re-figuring conceptions of matter and materiality in order to think through how matter can take place with the properties and capacities of any element or any state. This began with work on the lively capacities of recorded music but has recently been extended into work on nanotechnology and nanoscience.

3: Anticipatory Logics/Techniques
An emerging interest in understanding how anticipatory logics and techniques make futures subject to forms of action in the present. This includes work on anticipatory logics such as preparedness or pre-emption and anticipatory techniques such as scenarios, exercises and strategic gaming. It also includes work on anticipatory governance in nanotechnology and cultural regeneration. This research is supplemented by an ongoing interest in various styles of anticipatory-utopian thought that aim to practice an 'immanent utopianism' (in particular through reference to Ernst Bloch).

In addition to a series of papers on affect and the war on terror, Ben is currently writing a monograph on theories of affect and emotion provisionally entitled Spaces of Affect and Emotion and editing a collection of essays for a book entitled Non-Representational Theories and Human Geography (together with Dr Paul Harrison).

Research Groups

Research Interests

Affect and Emotion, Matter and Materiality, Utopianism, Non-Representational Theories, Anticipatory Logics/Techniques

Selected Publications

Books: edited

Anderson, B. & Harrison, P. Taking-Place: Non-Representational Theories and Human Geography. London: Ashgate; 2010.

Essays in edited volumes

Anderson, B. Modulating the Excess of Affect: Morale in a State of Total War. In: Gregg, M. & Seigworth, G. The Affect and Cultural Theory Reader. London: Duke University Press; 2010.
Anderson, B. & Harrison, P. The Promise of Non-Representational Theories. In: Anderson, B. & Harrison, P. Taking-Place: Non-Representational Theories and Human Geography. London: Ashgate; 2010.
Anderson, B. Entries for: Affect, Emotional Geographies, Non-representational Theory. In: Gregory, D. et al The Dictionary of Human Geography. 2009.
Anderson, B. Domestic Geographies of Affect. In: Greco, M. & Stenner, P. Emotions. A Social Science Reader. London: Routledge; 2008:201-205.
Anderson, B. Doreen Massey 'For Space' (2005). In: Hubbard, P., Valentine, G. & Kitchin, R. Key Texts in Human Geography. London: Sage; 2008.

Journal papers: academic

Anderson, B. Morale and the Affective Geographies of the 'War on Terror'. Cultural Geographies. 2010;17.
Anderson, B. Population and Affective Perception: Biopolitics and Anticipatory Action in US Counterinsurgency Doctrine. Antipode. 2010;42.
Anderson, B. Preemption, Precaution, Preparedness: Anticipatory Action and Future Geographies. Progress in Human Geography. 2010;34.
Anderson, B. Security and the Future: Anticipating the Event of Terror. Geoforum. 2010;41.
Anderson, B. Affective Atmospheres. Emotion, Society and Space. 2009;2:77-81. (Additional information)
Anderson, B. & Wylie, J. On Geography and Materiality. Environment and Planning A. 2009;41:318-335. (Additional information)
Anderson, B. & Holden, A. Affective urbanism and the event of hope. Space and Culture. 2008;11:142-159. (Additional information)
Anderson, B. & Fenton, J. Spaces of Hope. Space and Culture. 2008;11. (Additional information)
Anderson, B., Kearnes, M. & Doubleday, R. Geographies of Nanotechnoscience. Area. 2007;39:139-142. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Anderson, B. Hope for nanotechnology: Anticipatory knowledge and governance of affect. Area. 2007;19:156-165.
Anderson, B. 'Transcending Without Transcendence': Utopianism and an Ethos of Hope. Antipode. 2006;38:691-710. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Anderson, B. Becoming and being hopeful: towards a theory of affect. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. 2006;24:733-752. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Anderson, B. & Harrison, P. Questioning Affect and Emotion. Area. 2006;38:333-335. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Anderson, B. Practices of Judgement and Domestic Geographies of Affect. Social and Cultural Geography. 2005;6:645-660.
Anderson, B., Morton, F. & Revill, G. Practices of Music and Sound. Social and Cultural Geography. 2005;6:639-644.
Anderson, B. & Tolia-Kelly, D. Matter(s) in social and cultural geography. Geoforum. 2004;35:669-674.
Anderson, B. Recorded music and practices of remembering. Social and Cultural Geography. 2004;5:3-20. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Anderson, B. Time-stilled space-slowed: how boredom matters. Geoforum. 2004;35:739-754. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Anderson, B. A Principle of Hope: Recorded Music, Listening Practices and the Immanence of Utopia. Geografiska Annaler B. 2002;84:211-227.

Show all publications

Grants Awarded and Grant Applications

2009: STAGING AND PERFORMING EMERGENCIES (£53047.45 from Esrc)
2005: HOPE AND CULTURAL REGENERATION (£7442.00 from The British Academy)
2005: IMAGINING THE NANOSCALE (£2121.00 from Royal Geographical Society)