Coralations

What kind of stories can we tell about coral when the protagonist does not default to a stony reef-builder in the tropics?

Coralations is a philosophical exploration of the media that come into focus when we shift our attention from the highly recognizable coral of the tropics. Focusing on soft corals and deep-water corals leads to different narratives about climate change and involves different analogies to media. Through thought-provoking analyses of photography, science fiction, visual art, and scientific images, Melody Jue renews our curiosity and broadens our understanding of corals beyond the dominant narratives about their endangerment. Coralations shows how paying attention to particular corals can change what we take for granted.

Melody Jue is associate professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is author of Wild Blue Media: Thinking through Seawater and coeditor of Saturation: An Elemental Politics with Rafico Ruiz.