Monday, August 5, 2013

Creation between two bodies

From August 13 to 16, I'll be in Aarbolg, Denmark to participate in the 32nd International Human Science Research Conference.
http://www.ihsrc.aau.dk/

I am going to give a talk on the Merleau-Pontian notion of intercorporeality. Here is the abstract (my session is scheduled on 15th in the morning).  I look forward to meeting you all in Denmark!

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My aim here is to describe how meaningful communication is generated from embodied interactions between the self and the other. In order to do so, first, I clarify the Merleau-Pontian notion of intercorporeality, based on his writing. Intercorporeality is formulated as the reciprocal perception-action loop between the self and the other. Perceiving the other's action prompts the same action in the self (e.g., yawning), or its possibility (e.g., smiling), and vice versa. It is the process underlying the understanding of intentions in the actions of another. Then, I extend the notion of intercorporeality from the enactive perspective. Since we immediately grasp the intention of another's action through perceiving it, that action appears as such that affords us to react naturally in response (e.g., pointing-to and staring-at). Thus, intercorporeality unfolds as the embodied interaction of action and reaction, which at a certain moment overrides the individual intentions and gains its own autonomy. It is suggested that meaningful communication originates from this process.
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