T.L. Taylor, a professor of Comparative Media Studies at MIT, has been named a 2026-27 fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS). This highly selective residential program serves as an intellectual retreat where scholars from diverse disciplines converge to tackle complex social and behavioral questions. For Taylor, an ethnographer whose work bridges sociology and science and technology studies (STS), the fellowship provides a dedicated space to examine the burgeoning cultural demand for "immersion."
While the contemporary landscape is increasingly defined by high-tech spectacles—such as the massive LED-clad Sphere in Las Vegas or the sprawling, surrealist installations of Meow Wolf—Taylor’s research looks toward an older, more established progenitor: the theme park. Her project argues that the current fascination with interactive theater and city-based immersive art is deeply rooted in the design principles and social engineering pioneered by these commercial wonderlands.
Building on years of extensive fieldwork within Disney parks across the globe, Taylor’s work investigates how physical spaces are transformed into narrative-driven experiences. Through interviews and observation, she explores the intersection of labor, technology, and human behavior within these curated environments. As the boundaries between the real and the simulated continue to blur, Taylor’s research aims to decode the systems that make these artificial worlds feel so compellingly authentic.
With reporting from MIT News.
Source · MIT News
