Renée Marlin-Bennett
Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University
I research global problems, emphasizing questions about the nature of political power, information flows, bodies and emotions, and borders. As part of this larger project, my current focus is on the emergence of agents with power, including micro global actors.
My research examines controlling flows of information as the process of power. If a simple power relation is understood as A → B, in other words, A having power over B, I focus on the arrow, conceptualized as a flow of information. Doing so allows assessment of power processes in the absence of identifiable agents.
Sometimes I examine information flows that are unremittingly dark (hateful memes, the Medieval "blood libel"), and sometimes I examine more emancipatory, positive forms of power, like some artists' calls for more peaceful exchanges across borders.
My research examines controlling flows of information as the process of power. If a simple power relation is understood as A → B, in other words, A having power over B, I focus on the arrow, conceptualized as a flow of information. Doing so allows assessment of power processes in the absence of identifiable agents.
Sometimes I examine information flows that are unremittingly dark (hateful memes, the Medieval "blood libel"), and sometimes I examine more emancipatory, positive forms of power, like some artists' calls for more peaceful exchanges across borders.