(paper copies of the critical meme reader arrived today in the INC storage 
cellar, expect it in your mailbox soon)

https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/critical-meme-reader-global-mutations-of-the-viral-image/

On the occasion of the launch of the ‘Critical Meme Reader, Global Mutations of 
the Viral Image’, edited by Chloë Arkenbout, Jack Wilson and Daniel de Zeeuw, 
we dive into meme studies on the 7th of October, 5 PM at Spui25 in Amsterdam 
Beyond the so-called ‘Alt-right’ and its attendant milieus on 4chan and Reddit, 
memes have passed the post-digital threshold and entered new theoretical, 
practical, and geographical territories beyond the stereotypical young, white, 
male, western subject. As they metastasized from the digital periphery to the 
mainstream, memes have seethed with mutant energy. From now on, any historical 
event will be haunted by its memetic double. Our responses to memes in the new 
decade demand an analogous virtuality.

This event consists of international and local researchers, activists, and 
artists, who contributed to the reader, addressing the following questions, 
from both a theoretical perspective as from personal experience:

What is the current state of the meme? 
How are memes used for political counter-strategies? 
Is there a connection between memes and psychoanalysis? 
What is the current state of the meme producer? 
What does the future for meme studies look like? 

Program 

Global Mutations of the Viral Image by Daniel de Zeeuw 
Challenging Oppressive Discourse in Local Politics with Memes with 
@ibiza_austrian_memes <https://www.instagram.com/ibiza_austrian_memes> and 
@commie_central  <https://www.instagram.com/commie_central/> 
Genes, Memes, Dreams by Ivan Knapp 
Meme Poetry by Laurence Scherz  
The Future of Meme Studies with Idil Galip  
Speakers

Daniel de Zeeuw

Critical Meme Reader co-editor Daniël de Zeeuw is assistant professor in 
Digital Media Culture at the department of Media Studies, University of 
Amsterdam. He is also a FWO Junior post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for 
Media Studies, KU Leuven, and affiliated with the Open Intelligence Lab and the 
Digital Methods Initiative. His current research and teaching focus on the 
post-truth media dynamics at the fringes of digital culture, including 
conspiracy theories, leaking, trolling, and memes. On the 7th he will introduce 
the theoretical framework of the event (and the reader)  by discussing the 
current state of the meme. 

Anahita Neghabat and Jamie Brands

‘Anahita Neghabat is a Cultural and Social Anthropologist and meme-making 
activist from Vienna, Austria. As @ibiza_austrian_memes 
<https://www.instagram.com/ibiza_austrian_memes/> she comments on Austrian 
interior politics with the aim of intervening in public political discourse 
from an intersectional feminist, anti-racist and anti-authoritarian 
perspective. 

With @commie_central  <https://www.instagram.com/commie_central/>Jamie Brands 
critiques Dutch politics from a Marxist point of view.

On the 7th of October, these two meme admins will discuss their experiences in 
challenging oppressive discourses in local politics. 

Ivan Knapp 

​​Ivan Knapp was awarded his PhD in the History of Art by University College 
London in 2021 for a thesis entitled Meme-work: Psychoanalysis and the 
alt-right. His research focuses on questions of psychoanalysis and masculinity. 
On the 7th of October he will discuss the relationship between memes and 
Freud’s dream work theory. 

Laurence Scherz 

Laurence Scherz (°1989, Belgium) is a writer, translator, tattoo artist, and 
meme lover. She currently works for The Hmm, a platform for internet cultures. 
Aside from this, she’s writing her first collection of short stories, ranging 
from tales of feminism fairy tales to dystopian, speculative fiction, and magic 
realism. One time, a boss asked her what a meme was, and she’s never been more 
enthusiastic about anything ever since. Tonight, she will recite the Meme 
Poetry she wrote and we will discuss her methods of creation afterwards. 

Idil Galip 

​​İdil Galip is a writer, researcher and maker. Her work explores the 
intersections of digital culture and labour, especially with relation to online 
communities. She is currently a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of 
Edinburgh, finishing up her thesis titled Art Worlds Online: Memes, Labour and 
Politics. She is also the founder and convener of the Meme Studies Research 
Network <https://memestudiesrn.wordpress.com/>. She will discuss the future of 
meme studies this evening. 

Chloë Arkenbout

Critical Meme Reader producer and co-editor Chloë Arkenbout joined the 
Institute of Network Cultures as a researcher, editor and producer in 2020. She 
has a background in media studies and philosophy and worked as a freelance 
copywriter, journalist and communications professional for several years, 
specializing in the cultural and social sector. Next to memes, and viral image 
culture in general, her research includes topics such as online debate, 
inclusive language, digital activism, call out culture and (performative) 
allyship. Next to her role at INC, she works as a teacher at the Communication 
and Multimedia Design program at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, 
where she is also a member of the Research Ethics Committee. She will moderate  
this event. 

Practical information

Sign up for the physical event or live stream here: 
https://spui25.nl/programma/global-mutations-of-the-viral-image 
<https://spui25.nl/programma/global-mutations-of-the-viral-image>


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