Technology
Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett
An interdisciplinary discussion of Kirsten Shepherd-Barr's book Kirsten Shepherd-Barr (Associate Professor of Modern Drama, University of Oxford) discusses her book Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett with Michael Billington (Theatre Critic, The Guardian), Morten Kringlebach (Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford) and Laura Marcus (Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature).
About the book: Evolutionary theory made its stage debut as early as the 1840s, reflecting a scientific advancement that was fast changing the world. Tracing this development in dozens of mainstream European and American plays, as well as in circus, vaudeville, pantomime, and "missing link" performances, Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett reveals the deep, transformative entanglement among science, art, and culture in modern times.
The stage proved to be no mere handmaiden to evolutionary science, though, often resisting and altering the ideas at its core. Many dramatists cast suspicion on the arguments of evolutionary theory and rejected its claims, even as they entertained its thrilling possibilities. Engaging directly with the relation of science and culture, this book considers the influence of not only Darwin but also Lamarck, Chambers, Spencer, Wallace, Haeckel, de Vries, and other evolutionists on 150 years of theater. It shares significant new insights into the work of Ibsen, Shaw, Wilder, and Beckett, and writes female playwrights, such as Susan Glaspell and Elizabeth Baker, into the theatrical record, unpacking their dramatic explorations of biological determinism, gender essentialism, the maternal instinct, and the "cult of motherhood."
It is likely that more people encountered evolution at the theater than through any other art form in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Considering the liveliness and immediacy of the theater and its reliance on a diverse community of spectators and the power that entails, this book is a key text for grasping the extent of the public's adaptation to the new theory and the legacy of its representation on the perceived legitimacy (or illegitimacy) of scientific work.
Humanities and Science: Culture and Technology
An interdisciplinary discussion exploring culture’s interaction with technology Dr Maria Blanco (Associate Professor in Spanish) examines how the question of culture’s interaction with technology gets interesting—not to say sticky—when we broaden our scope beyond the confines of Western Europe and the United States to encompass other parts of the world. In response, Professor Fritz Vollrath (Academic Research Leader, Zoology and Head of the Oxford Silk Group) looks at the history of spider silks, Professor Andrew Wilson (Head of the School of Archaeology and Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire) considers technology and cultural change in Roman Britain, and Professor Lionel Tarassenko (Head of Engineering, University of Oxford) brings us back to the twenty first century.
The discussion is chaired by Professor Gregory Radick (Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Leeds and Director, Leeds Humanities Research Institute).