This talk will examine the grounds for an epistemology in relation to a different time scale in the human sciences, one that can allow us to incorporate ecology, deep time, and technological change as transformative. It will discuss both the ideographic and nomothetic versions of the human sciences, through a discussion of significant thinkers including Braudel, Habermas, Lyotard, Chakrabarty, and others.
Srinivas Aravamudan was appointed dean of the humanities at Duke in July 2009. At Duke, he is Professor in the Departments of English, Romance Studies, and the Program in Literature. He directed the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute (2003-2009) and is president of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes from 2007-2012. Professor Aravmudan's profile at Duke can be read here.