Deleuze and Guattari's concept of Strata (Part 1 - The Cambrian Explosion)

This lecture is adapted from Chapter 1 of my book Assemblage Theory and Method. It asks questions about how we should understand the concept of strata and proposes a new way of reading it. It uses the example of Stephen Jay Gould's discussion of the Cambrian explosion as a way of thinking about the importance of challenging presupposition.

[@buckystanton9139]

Thanks for bringing your work to youtube Ian. I found your book really interesting and a great refocus on desire for assemblage theory! Fantastic work. I do think that there is more work to be done linking up the Delandian "non-organic life" reading of Deleuze and Guattari with your rightful reassertion of desire and that they are not nearly as at odds as presented in the book at numerous occasions (you gotta have some critical leverage, I get it!). Nonetheless, if I had to chose one I'd go for your work but i'm biased as a social scientist. I'm also curious to see the Deluzo-Marxist crowd make those connections more evident in light of your work.

[@buckystanton9139]

also, not to prod to closely through the parasociality of youtube but I felt the book sort of just ended. Was this is a strategy against the onto-grandeur that appears in extant assemblage theory near the end of the book? And in addition, do you have more work like Lea's that you think embody the method well? Thanks again!

[@ianbuchanan3199]

You're right it does kind of end, which is why I plan to write a sequel on assemblage theory and affect.

[@_pythia_]

Might I ask for your opinion on Levi Bryants Onto-Cartography, especially the usage of assemblage in regards to its faithfulness to Deleuzeguattari?
Thanks a lot for uploading videos and for your books

[@TheSchleimBonze]

Hi there! i just want to say thank you for sharing your knowledge and the good ideas of how assemblages might work out to get a fair throw at moving things. At the moment i try to focus on my masters thesis which will be about the concepts of happiness of my fellow residents in the trailer park i live in. so your shared ideas and explanations of strata might help me with the question where to put affects and expressions. greetings form germany and keep your ideas stumbling over concepts :)
PS: What do you think of Sara Ahmeds way to move affects against normative ideas and systems of happiness? The Promise of Happiness (2010)