Intermateriality

The concept of material as a potent agent, as explored in New Materialism and associated philosophical and cultural studies trends, challenges the prevailing notion of material as a ‘silent mass at our disposal and a simple object of human access’ (Hoppe/Lemke, 2015, p. 262). This prompts further inquiry into the manner in which materials interact with one another and differentiate themselves from other materials.
Materials seldom manifest as discrete entities. Rather, they exist in combination with other materials; artefacts are often made from several materials; materials become entangled through ongoing social evaluation and semiotic processes. The term ‘intermateriality’ is employed as a framework concept to describe these diverse relationships, and it is precisely these relationships, and how they are qualified, that are the focus of this research approach.

Thinking with and from materials

We will use the perspective of the materials, to examine objects, things, and concepts such as intermediality and materiality in order to reveal the involment, modes of mechanisms, and significance of materials. The research perspective can thus be located in the field of methodological and theoretical endeavors that call for a materials turn in the humanities and cultural studies (Munteán/Plate 2023, 20).

By emphasising intermateriality, we hope to strengthen existing networks, establish new collaborations, and bring our project ideas to life.

Hoppe, Katharina und Thomas Lemke, Die Macht der Materie: Grundlagen und Grenzen des agentiellen Realismus von Karen Barad. In: Soziale Welt 2015 (66/3), 261–279

Munteán, László und Liedeke Plate, Introduction: Materials Matter. In: Materials of Culture: Approaches to Materials in Cultural Studies, hg. von Liedeke Plate, László Munteán und Airin Farahmand, Bielefeld 2023, 13–34. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839466971-002