R. John Williams

Associate Professor, English, Film and Media, at Yale University

R. John Williams, PhD, is Professor of English, and Film and Media Studies at Yale University. He is the author of The Buddha in the Machine: Art, Technology, and the Meeting of East and West, and has published as well on a number of topics including religion, futurology, systems theory, psychoanalysis, and film and television. His forthcoming manuscript, Out of Mind: Media, Meditation, and the Problem of the Inner Self (University of Chicago Press) examines the role of communication technologies in the evolution of contemplative practices during the twentieth century. 

Participant In These Roundtable Discussions

Sat
Nov 19th
2022
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Living in Difficult Times

This roundtable explores how individuals and society can respond to today’s intersecting crises—ranging from public health and climate change to political polarization and global conflict. It considers how different fields and communities can work together to confront shared challenges and foster resilience in an uncertain world.
Sat
Mar 18th
2023
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The Technē of Memory

This roundtable explores memory as a dynamic process that shapes identity, perception of time, and our understanding of the future, both within and beyond the brain. It examines how personal, collective, and digitally extended memories influence experience in an age of technology and evolving mnemonic tools.
Sat
Oct 4th
2025
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See Memory

This roundtable explores how memory, neuroscience, and storytelling intersect, highlighting memory as a dynamic process that shapes identity, healing, and self-understanding. It examines how art and science together can help us reinterpret and reshape our personal narratives.