Douglas Barrett

Douglas Barrett serves as an Assistant Professor in the Television, Radio and Film Department at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. His academic work bridges creative practice and critical inquiry, with teaching responsibilities spanning audio production, media studies, and music and sound studies. Barrett holds significant collaborative roles including co-founding the 'Posthumanities: Arts and Sciences' focus group at SU's BioInspired Institute and serving as a faculty fellow in the University-wide Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI).

Barrett's educational background reflects his interdisciplinary approach:

• Ph.D. from SUNY at Buffalo
• M.F.A. from CalArts
• B.Mus. from Berklee College of Music

His research interrogates how contemporary musical and artistic practices engage with pressing social issues including the ethics of science and technology, critiques of political economy, and representations of race, gender, and sexuality. Barrett employs methodologies from historical musicology, critical theory, art history, sound studies, and media theory to analyze experimental works that challenge human agency within global capitalism. His scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with interdisciplinary frameworks that connect artistic practice to broader cultural and technological shifts.

Analysis of Barrett's publications reveals a sustained focus on the intersection of experimental music with posthuman thought and technological critique. His 2023 monograph 'Experimenting the Human' examines works by Alvin Lucier, Pamela Z, Nam June Paik and Pauline Oliveros through the lens of postwar science's impact on human agency. This builds upon his 2016 foundational work 'After Sound,' establishing a research trajectory that positions sound art as critical commentary on contemporary socio-technical systems. His writing appears in leading journals including Cultural Critique, Discourse, and Twentieth-Century Music, reflecting consistent scholarly contribution to musicology and media studies.

Barrett currently advances two major research initiatives: a monograph exploring music's relationship to planetary crisis and an edited volume on space art. His collaborative work through the BioInspired Institute's 'Posthumanities' group fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue between arts, humanities, and sciences, while his ASPI fellowship examines policy implications at the technology-society interface. These projects demonstrate his commitment to positioning artistic practice as vital discourse within scientific and technological debates.