Research

In 2005-2006, I did substantial work on Roland Barthes, especially his little-known connections to the Annales historical school.

Here is the paper I produced; here is a shorter version, delivered as a lecture at Cornell and NCSU.

More recently, I've been working on Georges Sorel.

Here is a book review I wrote. When the paper itself is ready, I will post it.

 

In the process of reading for my prelim, I tried to get in the habit of writing down at least a few of my thoughts about books or essays I found especially stimulating.

I started posting some of these reading notes in the form of short paragraphs or essays on a blog. This blog does not collect tid-bits from the internet, nor is it a place for me to reflect on my immediate academic or personal environment. I have also tried to avoid talking about 'research in progress.' Rather, it exists to force me to codify and put down, to record, my movement through the 'classics' of my field, and related fields. No doubt I stray from that path now and again, but such is the main purpose.

I saw the phrase somewhere: intellectual discipline through vanity publishing. It is a fine slogan for my blog.

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