ABOUT

Taylor R. Genovese is a transdisciplinary philosopher, multimodal anthropologist, and filmmaker living in the Hudson Valley, New York. His work focuses on nostalgia, melancholy, Marxism, theories of value, and environmental ethics.He is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Dutchess Community College. He holds a Ph.D. in science and technology studies from Arizona State University. His dissertation research focused on the legacy of Russian Cosmism—a nineteenth century political theology promoting a universal human program for overcoming death, resurrecting ancestors, and traveling through the cosmos. While he was a graduate student, he had the great honor of being one of David Graeber's students and advisees until his unexpected passing in 2020. Prior to attending university as a non-traditionally aged student, he worked as an accomplished stage actor from 2005–2010 in Tucson, Arizona.Dr. Genovese is an Editor, author, and member of the Board of Directors at Iskra Books, a nonprofit independent scholarly publisher that releases original works of revolutionary theory, history, ecology, and art, as well as edited collections, new translations, and critical republications of older works.As an eclectic multimodal anthropologist, he tends to work on a variety of different projects in a diversity of artistic and academic modes, using digital video, film, photography, and sound as methods and sites of inquiry for anthropological and philosophical research. He produces most of his work through the multimodal production house Kuznitsa. His work has screened widely at international film festivals and venues, such as Tallgrass Film Festival, Arizona International Film Festival, Hudson Valley Film Festival, Ethnografilm, Eichsfelder Filmfestival, Grand OFF Festival, Festival Internacional de Cinema Socioambiental, Golden State Film Festival, and the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan.In his spare time, he is passionate about collecting vinyl records, works to support the Cuban Revolution, and is an avid (if sometimes inconsistent) cinephile.

GRADUATE SUPERVISION

I am interested in serving on committees for graduate students working on critiques of political economy, (neo)colonialism and imperialism, the anthropology of outer space and outer space imaginaries, ecological socialism, the weird and the occult, political theology, the material struggles against social chauvinism (racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc.), theories of value, major debates in radical philosophy (issues related to dialectics, materialism, ideology, etc.), national liberation struggles, and past or present socialist experimentation. I am also interested in any project which undertakes significant experimental, nontraditional, and/or multimodal methods.

AS SOLE-INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD

PHI 203: Major Religions of the WorldAn exploration of the cultural expressions and spiritual values of the world's great religions. The course aims at extending and deepening the student's awareness of the doctrine, mythology, symbolism and ritual at the heart of each religion. Among those religions studied will be Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. [Syllabus]PHI 205: Introduction to (Environmental) EthicsThis course is designed to introduce students to the study of ethics and the nature of morality. A wide range of ethical issues will be considered, such as moral relativism, duty-based ethics, and utilitarianism. In order to pragmatically investigate these positions, we will explore them through the lens of environmental ethics. Environmental ethics is the study of ethical relationships between humans and other entities—primarily, other-than-human life. Along with studying a variety of normative ethical positions, we will also investigate theories of value—and how these theories apply to the moral relationships we construct between human and non-human life—manifested in ideas like holism and deep ecology. Finally, the study of ethics benefits strongly from the application of these theories to real world situations, so a significant portion of the course will focus on applying the ethical positions we discuss to key debates in environmental ethics, including subjects such as sustainability, animal rights, environmental justice, climate change, ecosabotage, and technological innovation. [Syllabus]PHI 201: Introduction to PhilosophyThis course is an introduction to philosophy—with the key word being an. In this course, you will get an overview of various philosophical perspectives, but, as those who are interested in philosophy will notice, much of the “philosophical canon” is missing. This is a deliberate choice—but not one made out of spite, malice, or hubris. Rather, the curation of topics for this course is meant to expose you to a wide variety of philosophical traditions and/or modes of thinking, from ancient to contemporary. This class may be challenging. Some topics may require long stints of difficult reading and some topics may challenge your conceptions of how the world works (or should work). This is all done in service to the paramount goal of this course—and, consequently, one of the most difficult tasks that human beings can undertake—to make the familiar strange and the strange familiar. [Syllabus]ASB 214: Magic, Witchcraft, and Healing: An Introduction to Comparative ReligionThis course provides an introduction to the basic principles of cultural anthropology with a particular anthropological focus on religion, spirituality, myth, and ritual. Anthropology is a holistic discipline that asks: who are humans? where did humans come from? what is unique about humans as a species? In order to answer these questions, many anthropologists adhere to the tenet of cultural relativism (all cultures and cultural practices are equally valid and one should not judge a culture based on the principles of another culture). In this class, we will apply this tenet to an examination of religious or spiritual behavior including: mythologies, religious symbolism, ritual, mysticism, magic, divination, and witchcraft. Because humans are unique in that we are able to think through symbolic complexities, we generate this ambiguous thing we call “culture.” An important component of culture has long been (and continues to be) religion, belief, and spirituality. In this class, we will be asking how and why religions exist; how religion intersects with other parts of human society (economy, politics, medicine, kinship/family); how worldviews are shaped by religion; and, how religions interface with natural environments. [Syllabus]

AS INVITED/GUEST LECTURER

"Cryonic Assemblages: American Cosmism and the Commodification of Time." Peredelkino House of Creativity, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Human Potential, Institute of Social Sciences, The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA/РАНХиГС). October 14, 2022. Moscow, Russia."Multimodal Anthropology, Gonzo Ethnography, and Anthropology as Craft." Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis. December 10, 2020. St. Louis, MO."Anarchism, Anthropology, and Taboo." Department of Social Sciences, Arizona Western College. November 13, 2020. Yuma, AZ."Poyekhali! A Brief Primer on the Soviet Space Program." Department of Visual Arts, University of California, San Diego. January 21, 2020. San Diego, CA.