The Posthuman
1. Auflage April 2013
180 Seiten, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
The Posthuman offers both an introduction and major contribution to contemporary debates on the posthuman. Digital 'second life', genetically modified food, advanced prosthetics, robotics and reproductive technologies are familiar facets of our globally linked and technologically mediated societies. This has blurred the traditional distinction between the human and its others, exposing the non-naturalistic structure of the human. The Posthuman starts by exploring the extent to which a post-humanist move displaces the traditional humanistic unity of the subject. Rather than perceiving this situation as a loss of cognitive and moral self-mastery, Braidotti argues that the posthuman helps us make sense of our flexible and multiple identities.
Braidotti then analyzes the escalating effects of post-anthropocentric thought, which encompass not only other species, but also the sustainability of our planet as a whole. Because contemporary market economies profit from the control and commodification of all that lives, they result in hybridization, erasing categorical distinctions between the human and other species, seeds, plants, animals and bacteria. These dislocations induced by globalized cultures and economies enable a critique of anthropocentrism, but how reliable are they as indicators of a sustainable future?
The Posthuman concludes by considering the implications of these shifts for the institutional practice of the humanities. Braidotti outlines new forms of cosmopolitan neo-humanism that emerge from the spectrum of post-colonial and race studies, as well as gender analysis and environmentalism. The challenge of the posthuman condition consists in seizing the opportunities for new social bonding and community building, while pursuing sustainability and empowerment.
Introduction 1
Chapter One: Post-humanism: Life beyond the Self 13
Chapter Two: Post-anthropocentrism: Life beyond the Species 55
Chapter Three: The Inhuman: Life beyond Death 105
Chapter Four: Posthuman Humanities; Life beyond Theory 143
Conclusion 186
References 198
Index 214
scholarship across disciplines... Braidotti's reading of
contemporary issues is out of the box: challenging, encouraging and
inspiring."
Feminist Review
"An important and generative step toward new theories and
scholarship and a welcome addition to Braidotti's already
formidable canon."
H+ Magazine
"Shows remarkable clarity and concision even as it lays out highly
technical, complexly theoretical, and deeply interdisciplinary
concepts."
Choice
''This is a rather startling work that requires heavy
concentration on the part of the reader to follow the brilliant
thinking of the author. Rosi Braidotti, a contemporary philosopher
and feminist theoretician, `makes a case for an alternative view on
subjectivity, ethics and emancipation and pitches diversity against
the postmodernist risk of cultural relativism, while also standing
against the tenets of liberal individualism.' Throughout her work,
Braidotti asserts and demonstrates the importance of combining
theoretical concerns with a serious commitment to producing
socially and politically relevant scholarship that contributes to
making a difference in the world.''
Grady Harp, Literary Aficionado
"This is an exciting and important text, full of intellectual
brilliance and insight. It will make a major mark."
Henrietta L. Moore, University of Cambridge
"Braidotti's exhilarating survey of the constellation of
posthumanity is lucid, learned and provocative. It will be an
essential point of reference in future debates about the central
philosophical problem of our age."
Paul Gilroy, King's College London
"Debates over humanism and post-humanism have been fought over
from feminist philosophy to literary theory and post-colonial
studies. This latest work by Rosi Braidotti presents us with a
clear-headed glimpse of some of the hard choices we have before us.
Braidotti knows the philosophy, cares about the politics, and
empathizes with those who have been shoved aside in these brutal
last hundred years. She shows us how feminism, technoscientific
infrastructure and political strands cross, sometimes with
sparks."
Peter Galison, Harvard University
