Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research

We argue that the institutional administration of academic and creative research as labor does violence to the true character of this research as work. Where work is a pluralist concept that admits multiple forms of transformation, labor is based on a linear proportionality of inputs to outputs. We...

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Main Authors: María Angélica Madero, James Carney
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Alberta 2025-03-01
Series:Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Media Studies
Online Access:https://imaginationsjournal.ca/index.php/imaginations/article/view/29729
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author María Angélica Madero
James Carney
author_facet María Angélica Madero
James Carney
author_sort María Angélica Madero
collection DOAJ
description We argue that the institutional administration of academic and creative research as labor does violence to the true character of this research as work. Where work is a pluralist concept that admits multiple forms of transformation, labor is based on a linear proportionality of inputs to outputs. We explore various forms of non-linearity in creative work and pedagogical work, ranging across disproportion, the associative, the counterfactual, and the interdisciplinary. We arrive at C.S. Peirce’s notion of semiotic abduction as a useful cognitive model for research practice and creation. Here, the linear mapping of inputs to outputs is complemented by a recognition of the role played by the speculative or interpretive leap in arriving at novel concepts and practices.
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series Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Media Studies
spelling doaj-art-0deb65f9a87f42dbbddd017c9e3590802025-08-20T02:06:36ZengUniversity of AlbertaImaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Media Studies1918-84392025-03-0115310.17742/IMAGE29729Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative ResearchMaría Angélica Maderohttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5844-581XJames Carney We argue that the institutional administration of academic and creative research as labor does violence to the true character of this research as work. Where work is a pluralist concept that admits multiple forms of transformation, labor is based on a linear proportionality of inputs to outputs. We explore various forms of non-linearity in creative work and pedagogical work, ranging across disproportion, the associative, the counterfactual, and the interdisciplinary. We arrive at C.S. Peirce’s notion of semiotic abduction as a useful cognitive model for research practice and creation. Here, the linear mapping of inputs to outputs is complemented by a recognition of the role played by the speculative or interpretive leap in arriving at novel concepts and practices. https://imaginationsjournal.ca/index.php/imaginations/article/view/29729
spellingShingle María Angélica Madero
James Carney
Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research
Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Media Studies
title Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research
title_full Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research
title_fullStr Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research
title_full_unstemmed Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research
title_short Surplus to Requirements: Work, Non-Linearity, and Abduction in Creative Research
title_sort surplus to requirements work non linearity and abduction in creative research
url https://imaginationsjournal.ca/index.php/imaginations/article/view/29729
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AT jamescarney surplustorequirementsworknonlinearityandabductionincreativeresearch