theory → preface aka postscriptum*
For the meeting on 31.03.2025
1. The modern cyberspace is structured like a haustorium (Haustorial Web);
2. Grassroots and rhizome are metaphors referring to the same natural phenomenon;
3. Rhizomes can share resources or compete for them (symbiosis vs competition) which can ultimately lead to inhibition (one suppresses the other) or fusion (separate species -> genetically uniform clonal colony);
4. Fractals and meta-community building: communities interacting with each other in the same way as individual participants within a community;
5. Horizontal rhizomatic growth can only happen outside the haustorial web (commodification of subcultures; capitalist self-perpetuation);
6. Liminal spaces allowing for such growth to begin: TAZ, contact zones, heterotopias
7. Predator-prey and parasite-host ecologies: differences and similarities
Key concepts:
Cross-Community Cooperation refers to the process by which distinct grassroots communities engage in collaborative action, become interconnected and influence each other. Occurring organically or through intentional organization, this cooperation can result in cultural exchange, blending of practices, and the emergence of hybrid subcultures. Characterized by horizontal exchanges that may occur outside of formal institutions or market-driven frameworks, it fosters decentralized networks that transcend conventional boundaries while maintaining the diversity of individual groups.
Rhizome: In botany, a rhizome is a continuously growing horizontal underground stem that produces roots and shoots at nodes. Unlike traditional roots, rhizomes store nutrients and can propagate new plants, allowing for expansive, interconnected growth. In philosophy, particularly in the work of Deleuze and Guattari, the rhizome is a metaphor for non-hierarchical, decentralized structures of knowledge and organization — marked by multiplicity, interconnectedness (every point is connected to every other point), and resistance to fixed points or binaries. creeping rootstalks
Haustorium: In botany, a haustorium is a specialized structure found in parasitic plants and fungi that penetrates the host tissue to absorb water, nutrients, or sugars. Rather than destroying the host, a haustorium establishes an intimate physiological connection, enabling a dependent yet symbiotic relationship. I use this term to refer to the societal structure of modern communicative capitalism — still multiplicitous and interconnected like a rhizome, yet not anymore decentralized or horizontal. Resources are extracted without the host being aware of the invisible hierarchies in place.
Liminal Spaces refer to transitional, in-between areas—physical or metaphorical—that exist between defined stages or states. Physically, liminal spaces can be places like hallways, airports, abandoned malls, or vacant lots—spaces that feel dislocated from clear purpose or identity. Metaphorically, they represent states of ambiguity, uncertainty, or transformation, where norms and expectations are suspended. In cultural theory, liminality often explores the uncanny, the unsettling, and the sense of being "betwixt and between."
Hauntology: Coined by Jacques Derrida and later applied to music and popular culture by Mark Fisher and Simon Reynolds, hauntology is a concept that describes the persistence of elements from the past that continue to "haunt" the present. It suggests a state of being caught between the "no longer" and the "not yet," where lost futures or unrealized potentials linger. In cultural analysis, hauntology is used to discuss the sense of nostalgia, the aesthetic of retrofuturism, and the recurring echoes of past cultural forms in contemporary society. It's often applied to explore themes of stagnation, lost utopias, and the impossibility of imagining radical futures under late capitalism.
Niyyah is an Islamic concept that refers to the intention in one's heart to do an act for the sake of Allah. It plays a central role in determining the sincerity and authenticity of an action, whether religious or secular. In words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), "Actions are judged by intentions”: the value of an action is determined by the intention behind it, regardless of the outward appearance or result. Niyyah is contrasted to Nifaq (hypocrisy), which occurs when outward actions do not match internal intentions.