Writing & Code

Writing, whether literary or not, follows a technological and a legal code. The development of texts is closely linked to the (technological) form of their distribution. The same is true of their accessibility, openness, or alterability. Free and open source have been raising these questions for some time: can the answers provided there be transferred to (digital) literature?

Conversation with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Coy (Computer Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Catharina Maracke (Media and Governance, Keio University, Tokio). Moderation by Prof. Dr. Stefan Beck (European Ethnology, Humboldt University Berlin)

Prof. Dr. Stefan Beck, European Ethnology, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, is professor of European ethnology at Berlin’s Humboldt University. Using a social and cultural anthropological approach, his work is focused on the interrelation between science, technology, and society, distilling its significance for cultural production and media use.

Prof. em. Dr. Wolfgang Coy, Computer Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, is professor emeritus for computer science at Berlin’s Humboldt University . His research is focused in particular on the social and cultural history of computer science, digital media theory, and the ethics of the information society. He calls for a cautious approach in dealing with the impacts of the mechanization of societal processes.

Prof. Dr. Catharina Maracke, Media and Governance, Keio University, Tokio, Japan. Until 2009, Maracke held a leadership position at the Creative Commons Foundation. An expert on copyright law, she is currently professor at the Global Information and Communication Technology and Governance Academic Program (GIGA) at Keio University in Tokyo and a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.