Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Understanding Representation

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Cultural Sociology
This Article
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Knoblauch, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

The Performance of Knowledge: Pointing and Knowledge in Powerpoint Presentations

Hubert Knoblauch

Technical University of Berlin, Hubert.Knoblauch{at}tu-berlin.de

Powerpoint and similar technologies have contributed to a profound transformation of lecturing and presenting information. In focusing on pointing in powerpoint presentations, the article addresses aspects of this transformation of speech into `presentations'. As opposed to popular attacks against powerpoint, the analysis of a large number of audio-visually recorded presentations (mainly in German) demonstrates the creativity of these `performances', based on the interplay of slides (and other aspects of this technology), speech, pointing and body formations. Pointing seems to be a particular feature of this kind of presentation, allowing knowledge to be located in space. Considering powerpoint as one of the typical technologies of so-called `knowledge societies', this aspect provides some indication as to the social understanding of knowledge. Instead of `representing' reality, knowledge is defined by the circularity of speaking and showing, thus becoming presented knowledge rather than representing knowledge.

Key Words: communication • communicative culture • knowledge • knowledge society • performance • performative • powerpoint

Cultural Sociology, Vol. 2, No. 1, 75-97 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1749975507086275
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 SexualitiesHome page
D. D. Waskul
'My Boyfriend Loves it when I Come Home from this Class': Pedagogy, Titillation, and New Media Technologies
Sexualities, October 1, 2009; 12(5): 654 - 661.
[Abstract] [PDF]