Thomas Lamarre

Thomas Lamarre teaches in the Departments of Cinema and Media Studies and East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Much of his research centers on the history of media in Japan, ranging from the role of inscription technologies in ninth-century Japan (Uncovering Heian Japan, 2000) to silent cinema and the global imaginary (Shadows on the Screen, 2005), animation technologies (The Anime Machine, 2009) and contemporary infrastructure ecologies (The Anime Ecology, 2018). He has recently joined the Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization, as his current research on nuclear ecologies has gravitated toward the intersection of media studies and environmental studies, building on his earlier training in cell biology, microbiology, and ocean sciences. His interest in this initiative on phytological critique — honing critical inquiry through a combination of scientific and philosophical engagement with plants across gradations of complexity — stems from a longstanding engagement with molecular approaches to ecology.

Gordon J Laing Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and the College

︎ tlamarre@uchicago.edu