Dr. Irina Aristarkhova

Biography

Irina Aristarkhova, PhD, is a scholar and writer interested in cultural transformations and new forms of thinking. Her ongoing research and teaching encompass comparative feminist theory, digital technoscience studies, and contemporary aesthetics. Aristarkhova’s publications include the monographs "Hospitality Matrix: Philosophy, Biomedicine, Culture" (Columbia University Press, 2012) and "Arrested Welcome: Hospitality Contemporary Art" (University of Minnesota Press, 2020). She has developed novel feminist approaches to the theory and practice of hospitality. Originally from Russia, Aristarkhova edited and contributed to the book "Woman Exist: Contemporary Studies of Sexual Difference" (1999) and is known for her Russian translation of Luce Irigaray’s "Ethics of Sexual Difference" (2005). From 2002 to 2005, she co-ran the list-serve "Undercurrents," focused on cyberfeminism, new technologies, colonialism, and globalization. Previously, Aristarkhova held faculty positions at Pennsylvania State University and the National University of Singapore, where she directed the Cyberarts Cyberculture Research Initiative. In 2021, she chaired the 34th Conference on Society, Literature, Science, and Arts. Aristarkhova has held several affiliations at the University of Michigan, including as Professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and as a Faculty Affiliate in various departments.

Research Interests