Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 12:23:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Joshua LaBare <joshbear-AT-acpub.duke.edu>
Subject: Re: Warhol/sci-fi/turnips/nat curric


Garry --
	As for Baudrillard readings, I guess I'd suggest just diving in.  
But that probably has more to do with my personal style than anything 
else: I enjoy reading Baudrillard (for example, Fatal Strategies) so I 
see no point in reading people who write about Baudrillard instead of the 
real thing.  I've enjoyed, however, reading introductions -- like the 
intro to Douglas Kellner's (our co-list member) book on Baudrillard, or 
others.  That's at least useful to get yourself situated.  It's probably 
also important to note that, while Baudrillard may be, in fact, a 
philosopher, he is also (and started out as) a "sociologue", not really 
what we usually mean by a sociologist in English but close enough.  I 
usually feel that he is in direct dialogue with people who write more 
cultural anthropology and cultural theory than philosophy per se... 
continuing, perhaps, a trend of critical thought and philosophy started 
by Nietzsche.  Thus: Bataille, Marcel Mauss, Foucault. etc.  But then again, 
that view might just be the cause of my own particular view on things: others 
might find that he is in dialogue with more "philosophical" texts.

Probably not much use, but...

Ciao,
Joshua