معرفی
Professor Ben Anderson is a cultural-political geographer in the Department of Geography at Durham University, where he has held academic positions since 2004. His work spans affective geographies, emergency governance, and contemporary political conditions including Brexit and populism. He currently serves as joint REF coordinator and has previously directed BA/MArts programmes and convened research clusters.
Anderson's research centers on affective life and its political dimensions, with three primary strands: (1) The politics of affect in relation to contemporary conditions like populism and precarity, including ongoing work on boredom under neoliberalism; (2) Governing emergencies through anticipatory practices like scenarios and exercises, examining how 'emergency' has expanded as a governing logic; (3) Transformations in cultural geography, particularly regarding concepts of culture, materiality, and non-representational theories. His theoretical contributions include the monograph Encountering Affect: Capacities, Apparatuses, Conditions (2014) and development of concepts like 'affective atmospheres' and 'structures of feeling'.
His recent publications reveal strong thematic trends across political geography, affect studies, and emergency governance. Work increasingly examines slow emergencies and racialized biopolitics, while connecting boredom studies to climate politics and financialization. A significant portion engages with Brexit's affective dimensions and right-wing populism, often through collaborative projects. The scholarship demonstrates sustained innovation in conceptualizing affective life while maintaining empirical grounding in contemporary political struggles.
Anderson has supervised 19 PhD students throughout his career, with current supervisees including Tilly Hall, Cecilia Zhu, and Hannah Morgan. His administrative service includes significant roles in programme leadership and research coordination.
He is actively involved in research clusters including Urban Worlds, Politics-State-Space, and Economy & Culture, contributing to Durham's vibrant interdisciplinary research environment through collaborations across geography, political theory, and cultural studies.
