Jean Baudrillard, a famous French theorist of culture, media, and literature, whose work I'm unfortunately only slightly familiar with, passed away yesterday in Paris. After reading up a bit this morning I think I'll have to check out his work in more detail soon.
Baudrillard is known primarily for his work on hyperreality, a theoretical perspective on postmodern culture wherein representations ("simulacra" in Baudrillardian terminology) have replaced the "real" (whatever the real is supposed to be) to the point that "the real no longer exists."
I'm not sure the real ever existed in the sense Baudrillard means, but I'm fascinated to read more nonetheless. Wouldn't want my knowledge of Baudrillard to be drawn only from simulacra of his work.
[via rhizome]
Sounds like the International Journal of Baudrillard Studies is what you are looking for
see http://www.ubishops.ca/baudrillardstudies
Very interesting. Thanks!
I got really into the idea of a simulacrum during college. Ended up writing a story (titled Simulacrum) about a guy that finds a blurred copy of a paragraph wedged in the recesses of a xerox machine. It wasn't as stupid as I just made it sound, though.