Dr . Alexander Darius Ornella

Research in religion, sports, popular culture, technology

Suffering in, for, and with Christ: Faithful CrossFit Bodies. 30 Sept 2015 @ Université de Strasbourg

Posted on by Alexander

CrossFit is a fitness regime that has attracted a number of Christian athletes over the past few years. Some of these athletes bear witness to their faith with and through their bodies. Rich Froning, the four time winner of the annual CrossFit Games, for example, has “Galatians 6:14” (“May I never boast except in the Read more about Suffering in, for, and with Christ: Faithful CrossFit Bodies. 30 Sept 2015 @ Université de Strasbourg[…]

Clothed with Strength: Meaningful Material Practices in the Sport of CrossFit

Posted on by Alexander

This blogpost explores the sport of CrossFit as meaningful material practice via the use and display of t-shirts. It offers a unique case study and encourages us to look at the domain of sport with new eyes, one where materials, artefacts and practices are simultaneously part of the mundane world but also transcend the ordinary Read more about Clothed with Strength: Meaningful Material Practices in the Sport of CrossFit[…]

The Circuit of Technological Imaginaries: A Theoretical Approach

Posted on by Alexander

Technological imaginaries are not confined to the imaginary realm, dreams, or narratives but what we imagine and how we imagine impacts our lived experiences and our practices. In an essay on “The Real Consequences of Imaginary Sex Acts”, Brett Lunceford argues that imagined, labeled, and named sex acts are more than mere fantasy. “My contention Read more about The Circuit of Technological Imaginaries: A Theoretical Approach[…]

Visions of the Afterlife and Transhumanist Wet Dreams

Posted on by Alexander

Death is a staple of human existence and it should come as no surprise that throughout history, human communities have developed narratives and practices to cope with death and imagine and enact a possible afterlife. Today, one arena where such narratives are acted out is popular culture and science fiction film. Transhumanists have a vested Read more about Visions of the Afterlife and Transhumanist Wet Dreams[…]

New book: Commun(icat)ing Bodies

Posted on by Alexander

Commun(icat)ing Bodies. Body as a Medium in Religious Symbol Systems As a basic medium of human interaction, the body is fundamental to socio-cultural communication systems, in particular the communication system «religion». Over time, religious traditions – in all their various cultural and historical forms and incarnations – have developed elaborated symbolic systems with the body Read more about New book: Commun(icat)ing Bodies[…]

Fit Enough for Faith? 26 Feb 2104 @ Univ of Hull

Posted on by Alexander

Fit Enough for Faith? Sports, Religion, and Values in the CrossFit Community CrossFit is a strength routine with the aim to develop a ‘broad, general and inclusive fitness’. While the workouts can be done alone, CrossFit emphasizes community and encourages working out together. In fact, this spirit of ‘togetherness’ and encouraging each other to complete Read more about Fit Enough for Faith? 26 Feb 2104 @ Univ of Hull[…]

Conference Posters in the Classroom

Posted on by Alexander

In my Avatars, Cyborgs, and Ordinary Human(s)/Beings module, I tried to find new was to engage students with course content and one another, I decided to replace the more traditional 10-20min oral presentation (where one student talks and the rest more often than not does not pay attention) I had in the syllabus with a conference Read more about Conference Posters in the Classroom[…]

It’s all about Sex. The Peculiar Case of Technology and Gender

Posted on by Alexander

Abstract: Gender and technology might seem unrelated on first sight because technology is often considered a neutral other that does not have anything to do with gender. Yet, taking a closer look at the language we use to talk about technology, at the images we rely on to represent technology, its uses and users, it Read more about It’s all about Sex. The Peculiar Case of Technology and Gender[…]

Machinic Bodies, 21 March 2013 @ IISC

Posted on by Alexander

Machinic Bodies as Boundary Bodies: Reflections on the Impact of Body-Machine Images on Human Self-Understanding. Invited presentation at the The Centre for Contemporary Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, 21 March 2013. Abstract: “Man as Industrial Palace” (1926) is the title of probably the most famous of Fritz Kahn’s, a German gynecologist, body illustrations. It was Read more about Machinic Bodies, 21 March 2013 @ IISC[…]