In this project, I advocate for what I call “embodied imagination” and an entangled multiplicity in lieu of binary oppositions through embodiment. This is not merely about the body; embodiment includes the mind, spirit, and other factors such as intersubjectivity, spatiotemporality, difference, and repetition—all in co-dependent and co-emergent relation.
The history of Cartesian dualism and Western metaphysics looms large, and my argument stems from an alternative reading of what is possible for human life through acknowledgment of the multifaceted role of embodiment. To make sense of claims that can seem rather abstract, I ground my arguments and sources in examples and connections within the martial art of karate.
More specifically, I most often reference kata, which are series of techniques taught in sequences from teacher to student and performed against imaginary opponents. The practice and performance of embodiment manifest through movement practices like martial arts; practitioners imagine virtual possibilities and execute actual decisions in creative modes.
In creating and performing a kata that aligns with the themes of each chapter, I highlight this process of experimentation and exploration as a way to interrogate binary sets such as the mind/body and the real/virtual. In so doing, this project raises prescient questions about human being—what it means to be human, and, through embodied imagination, what we have the potential to become.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/45se-rq39 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | FitzGerald, Emily |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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