The Changing Forms of Social Phenomena Today

In this talk, Ted Schatzki first describes the stream of social thought with which he is associated—theories of practices—before presenting a recently developed general framework for grasping contemporary sociodigital phenomena.

Dr. Theodore Schatzki

Theodore Schatzki is professor of philosophy at the University of Kentucky. Additionally, he is a professor in the Department of Geography and, until September 2024, he is also professor of sociology at Lancaster University in the UK.  Schatzki earned a BA in applied mathematics from Harvard University (1977) and graduate degrees in philosophy from Oxford University (1979) and UC Berkeley (1986).  He joined the philosophy faculty at UK in 1986.

Schatzki’s research interests lie in theorizing social life.  He is widely recognized for his contributions to the contemporary stream of social analysis called practice theory, which is active today in multiple disciplines including sociology, geography, organizational studies, education, anthropology, international relations, and history.  Schatzki is the author of five single-authored monographs, the co-editor of six collected volumes, and responsible for almost ninety articles—and a slew of other pieces—on a wide range of topics in philosophy and social theory.  He has received research support from the Fulbright Commission, the Humboldt Foundation, the ESRC (UK), and the Leverhulme Trust.  Recent work concerns the digital shaping of associations, the notions of space needed to analyze digitalized social phenomena, and (with R. Friedland) a practice institutional analysis of blockchains, cryptocurrencies, and platforms. 

Schatzki has taught a wide variety of courses at UK and other universities in philosophy, geography, sociology, social theory, and environmental studies.  He has chaired nineteen PhD committees.  Administratively, he has served as cofounder and codirector of the Committee on Social Theory (1989-2000), chair of the philosophy department (2002-2007), and senior associate dean in the College (2008-17).  Currently, he is cofounder and co-organizer of a lively international practice theory community boasting over 500 members.  In this capacity, he is coresponsible for reading room series, an online graduate course in practice theory, an annual conference, and occasional topical workshops, among other activities.

Schatzki has been a guest professor or researcher at numerous universities oversees including the University of Exeter, The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Aalborg University Copenhagen, the Karl-Franzens University in Graz, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Vienna, Lancaster University, the University of Bristol, the University of Zurich, the University of Bielefeld, the Free University in Berlin, The Charles Sturt University in Australia, the Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt in Germany, and the University of Bergen.  In the spring of 2018 he received an honorary doctorate from Aalborg University in Denmark.

A November 29, 2021 article in the Daily Nous based on the Scopus index listed Schatzki as the 13th most cited philosopher in the world in 2020.

Geography Career Night is Wed., Feb. 7th, 5:00-7:00pm

Join a panel of alumni and professionals for a night dedicated to kickstarting your career. We'll be meeting in-person on Wed., Feb. 7th, at 5pm in the Stuckert Career Center on campus. Bring your resume to workshop with a career counselor and get a new professional headshot for your LinkedIn profile. Then stay for a panel discussion with alumni from UK Geography, discussing their career path after graduation:

Sean Conway graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2015 with a BA in Geography.  Starting his geospatial career at NV5 Geospatial, he spent 8 years progressing from a Geospatial Tech to the role of Orthoimagery Technical Domain Expert and Software Developer.  In 2023 he was approached by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for a position in their St. Louis, MO facility where he is currently a Photogrammetrist in their Precise Imagery Division. 

Sandra Martinez (she/her) is currently working with the Riley-Decker Company under it's subsidiary The Job Center where she helps outgoing, talented individuals find jobs that fit their needs and skillsets. She serves as The Job Center's UPS Adminstrator meaning she's the liason between the internal Job Center team and the UPS account management team and ensures both teams communicate and collaborate seamlessly. Equipped with the analytical skills gained through her Geography degree, she's able to maintain and improve internal processes at The Job Center to ensure her team's workflow is effective and efficient.  

Benjamin Mills, an accomplished legal professional and educator, began his education at the United States Military Academy and has made significant strides in his career since graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Kentucky in 2017. Following his undergraduate education, Mr. Mills continued at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. While at law school, he completed a judicial externship for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, an experience that afforded him extensive engagement in advanced legal research and writing.

Ellie Wellman graduated from UK in August of 2022 with a B.A. in Geography and a minor in Mapping and GIS. During the summer of 2022, she worked as an intern with the Kentucky Geological Survey to aid with a sinkhole mapping project. After graduation she began working with NV5 as an Orthographic Imagery Technician and has been working at NV5 for a year and a half. 

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20 Dreams

Highlighting anti-colonial methodologies, this working paper addresses some of the limitations and possibilities of theorizing climate catastrophe and ecocide alongside race and racism. Working closely with Paul Gilroy, Édouard Glissant, and Sylvia Wynter, my thinking is propelled by their methodological clues that, as they unfold, unsettle analytical frames that tend to equate environmental toxicities with (degraded) blackness. The paper also centres pedagogy and draws attention to how black livingness is not a concept, per se, but a set of actions that teach us how to theorize our environs anew.

Speaker Information

Prof Katherine McKittrick is our 50th Geography in the Bluegrass Day Speaker. Prof McKittrick is Canada Research Chair in Black Studies at Queen's University. She researches in the areas of Black studies, anti-colonial studies, and critical-creative methodologies. She authored Demonic Grounds: Black Women and the Cartographies of Struggle, edited Sylvia Wynter: On Being Human as Praxis, and co-edited, with Clyde Woods, Black Geographies and the Politics of Place. Her most recent monograph, Dear Science and Other Stories is an exploration of Black methodologies. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

We are grateful for support from the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies and our Geography Development Fund.

Learn more about this 50th Geography in the Bluegrass Day, here.