Mid Theory: What do we mean by ‘mid theory’? In the broadest terms, we mean to mark our interest in theoretical and critical works written in the midst of a present that can feel too close, too fast, too much. We find value in objects in the middle of things—objects that are unfinished, suspended, interposed—as well as in those things that underwhelm, flatten, or agitate expectations. We are excited by work that doesn’t try to hold itself above the present moment, passing judgment from on high, but rather embroils itself, even implicates itself in it. More specifically, and more importantly, “mid theory” locates the space we want to build: a platform for thinking together that exists somewhere between the university and popular media. We want to wrest public intellectualism back from the universities that have captured it over the past few decades—just as we want to recover agile, shorter-form writing as a worthy vehicle for spreading enthusiasm and doing serious thinking, outside of the hype cycle and the rush to produce content. “Mid theory” isn’t a prescriptive method, nor does it denote a specific set of objects or demands. Think of it as an open, fluid orientation to the contemporary. Think of it as an invitation to begin something together, in media res.
