Laboring Bodies and the Quantified Self

The body has become central to practices of self-tracking. By focusing on the relations between quantification, the body, and labor, this volume sheds light on the ways in which discourses on data collection, office work, and production are instrumental in redefining concepts of labor, including notions of immaterial and free labor in an increasingly virtual work environment. The contributions explore the functions of quantification in conceptualizing the body as a laboring body and examine how quantification contributes to disciplining the body. By doing so, they also inquire how practices of self-tracking, self-monitoring, and self-optimization have evolved historically.

Ulfried Reichardt (Prof. Dr.), born in 1956, teaches American literature and culture at the University of Mannheim. He was principal investigator of the research project »Probing the Limits of the Quantified Self« as well as founder and speaker of the graduate school »Formations of the Global.« His research also focuses on American philosophy and music as well as the uses of time in literature.
Regina Schober (PD Dr.), born in 1980, teaches American studies at the University of Mannheim. She received her dissertation from the University of Hannover in 2009 and her habilitation from the University of Mannheim in 2019. Her research focuses on literary conceptions of networks, data fiction, and the intersections of failure and knowledge. With Ulfried Reichardt, she was principal investigator of the research project »Probing the Limits of the Quantified Self«.