Karen Barad's concept of "agential realism" is a framework that she developed in her book "Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning." Agential realism is an approach that aims to bridge the gap between scientific understandings of the material world and philosophical considerations of how knowledge is produced.
At its core, agential realism challenges the separation between the human observer and the objects being observed. Barad argues that traditional conceptions of knowledge often assume a clear distinction between the subject (observer) and the object (observed), which can lead to a fragmented understanding of reality. Instead, agential realism proposes that the world and our knowledge of it are co-constituted through interactions and entanglements.
Key elements of agential realism include:
Intra-action: Barad uses the term "intra-action" (as opposed to "interaction") to emphasize that entities, including humans and nonhumans, come into existence through their mutual entanglements and interactions. Intra-action blurs the distinction between entities as separate and independent and highlights their interconnectedness.
Entanglement: Building on insights from quantum physics, Barad emphasizes the entanglement of matter and meaning. This means that the material world and the ways we understand it are deeply intertwined. The boundaries between material reality and our conceptual understanding of it are not as distinct as traditional epistemologies might suggest.
Agencies and Phenomena: "Agencies" in agential realism refer to the capacity of entities to act and make a difference in the world. Phenomena are the outcomes of these agential interactions. In other words, entities have agency in shaping the world, and our understanding of phenomena is a result of these agential intra-actions.
Posthumanist Perspective: Agential realism aligns with posthumanist thought by questioning the centrality of the human observer and emphasizing the agency of nonhuman entities, such as technology, animals, and even subatomic particles.
In summary, Karen Barad's concept of agential realism proposes a more nuanced and interconnected understanding of reality, one that challenges the traditional separation between subject and object, observer and observed. By drawing on insights from quantum physics and philosophical considerations, Barad's framework encourages us to see the world as a complex web of intra-acting agencies that shape both material reality and our understanding of it.
