L.030.35110 Tracking - Targeting - Predicting. The Pleasures and Promises of Global Spectatorship

Instructors: Jutta Weber

Event type: Block event

Org-unit: Medienwissenschaft

Displayed in timetable as:

Language of instruction: German

Min. | Max. participants: - | 15

Comment:
Tracking, targeting, predicting: These are basic components of the current high-tech military logic in the countries of the global North. Strong, ubiquitous ICT-based networks, manned and unmanned systems are used to control and monitor area-wide and over huge distances 24 hours a day to reach a ‘globespanning dominance based on a nearmonopoly of space and air power’ (Graham). Surprisingly, the logic of civil security architectures seems to work along very similar lines. An impressive example is the recent ‘Domain Awareness System’ in Manhattan, co-produced by Microsoft and the New York City Police, with its more than 3000 cameras, 2500 sensors, hundreds of license-plate-scanners, access to huge criminal as well as terrorist databases, emergency calls etc. The system was introduced as a super-tool in the fight against terrorism but is already deployed for ‘regular’ crime investigation. High-tech warfare and civil security architectures seem to share a similar concept of techno-security based on precautionary risk management, an emphasis on advanced ICT and distanced operations as well as the reliance on the idea of full spectrum dominance – which is closely intertwined with the pleasures of global spectatorship.

This is the theme of an international workshop on techno-security which will takes place from the 20th – 22nd June 2013 at the University of Paderborn. In one or two preparatory sessions we will make us familiar with the subject and discuss texts of the keynote speakers of the seminar. We will attend the workshop together and you will write a review of one or two papers of the conference (‘Kleiner Schein’) or a review of the whole conference (‘Großer Schein’)

The aim of the seminar is to analyze closely the logic of techno-security in its military and / or civil aspects as well as their possible entanglements

If you are unsure whether the seminar suits you (for example in terms of language skills), please contact me at my office hour or via email.

Important notes:
First meeting: April 15th, 2013: 18-20 Uhr
seminar: 20th-22nd of June 2013