Full Description
In Nonhuman Witnessing Michael Richardson argues that a radical rethinking of what counts as witnessing is central to building frameworks for justice in an era of endless war, ecological catastrophe, and technological capture. Dismantling the primacy and notion of traditional human-based forms of witnessing, Richardson shows how ecological, machinic, and algorithmic forms of witnessing can help us better understand contemporary crises. He examines the media-specificity of nonhuman witnessing across an array of sites, from nuclear testing on First Nations land and autonomous drone warfare to deepfakes, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic investigative tools. Throughout, he illuminates the ethical and political implications of witnessing in an age of profound instability. By challenging readers to rethink their understanding of witnessing, testimony, and trauma in the context of interconnected crises, Richardson reveals the complex entanglements between witnessing and violence and the human and the nonhuman.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction. Nonhuman Witnessing 1
1. Witnessing Violence 37
2. Witnessing Algorithms 80
3. Witnessing Ecologies 112
4. Witnessing Absence 150
Coda. Toward a Politics of Nonhuman Witnessing 174
Notes 185
Bibliography 207
Index 229
