Introduction...

[Marisa S. Olson]

Hello.  My name is Marisa S. Olson and I am in the Rhetoric program at
UC Berkeley.

My primary area of interest is in semiotics.  A huge area in itself, I
will say that I am interested in the construction of "identity" and the
negotiation of meaning with images and words.  I am also interested in
the relationship between the image and the word.  I am not interested
in the ID of one particular social section, per se, but I my interest
is piqued by the evolution of the conditions of cultural and gender
subjection over many historic epochs.  --I tend to approach
identity-related research from a morbidly Althusserian perspective.

While at Berkeley, my interests have been PROFOUNDLY influenced by Kaja
Silverman.  She has written my understanding of Lacan and Marx, two big
influences for me.  I am interested in the economy of the sign (see
Baudrillard's _Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign_) and the
way in which representations are exchanged.

Regarding discourse, I will say that I look at the above exchange as a
form of "atextual" discourse.  Additionally, regarding particular
media, my work as a visual artist has drawn me to a new form of
narrative: digital storytelling.  I plan to spend the next year writing
about the semiotics of digital storytelling.  I am intrigued by the
fact that this form of autobiography (which I essentially consider all
communication to be) has no official beginning or end, necessarily
engages the "reader" as author, otherwise obscures the role of the
author vis a vis ownership, can "make sense" with huge story lines left
out (what does it mean to "make sense"?), and relies upon the use of
text, image, sound, and technology.  --Yet another disclaimer is that
"technology" is an entirely ambiguous term.  Ong told us that wrtiting
and memory are technologies; the technologies which I use to create
prints and, lately, blow glass, were once cuting edge...yet, now they
are commonplace.  Herein is a fascinating place to witness a form of
commodity fetishism in [discursive] action.

Goodness, it must be winter break: We all have lots of time to talk
about ourselves!  I will stop now and take in the tiles of group ID
which others lay on the table.

Best wishes for 1999!

~Marisa S. Olson
 UC Berkeley
 <marisa.o at usa.net> or
 <jt231b at ix.netcom.com>