Table Of ContentStefan Herbrechter · Ivan Callus
Manuela Rossini · Marija Grech
Megen de Bruin-Molé
Christopher John Müller
Editors
Palgrave
Handbook of
Critical
Posthumanism
Palgrave Handbook of Critical
Posthumanism
(cid:129) (cid:129)
Stefan Herbrechter Ivan Callus
(cid:129) (cid:129)
Manuela Rossini Marija Grech
e´ (cid:129)
Megen de Bruin-Mol
u¨
Christopher John M ller
Editors
Palgrave Handbook of
Critical Posthumanism
With36Figuresand3Tables
Editors
StefanHerbrechter IvanCallus
HeidelbergUniversity DepartmentofEnglish
Heidelberg,Germany FacultyofArts
UniversityofMalta
Msida,Malta
ManuelaRossini MarijaGrech
Basel,Switzerland UniversityofMalta
Msida,Malta
MegendeBruin-Molé ChristopherJohnMüller
UniversityofSouthampton MacquarieUniversity
Winchester,UK Sydney,NSW,Australia
ISBN978-3-031-04957-6 ISBN978-3-031-04958-3(eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04958-3
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Preface
ThePalgraveHandbookofCriticalPosthumanismassemblescriticalinterventions
onthediscourseofposthumanismandtheposthuman.Posthumanismisaparadigm
emerging from the challenges to humanism and notions of humanity posed by the
erosion of traditional demarcations between who/what counts as human and non-
human.Itproblematizesanthropocentrism,speciesism,andbiopoliticsandinforms
new creative practices from bioart to electronic literature. It impacts institutional
changes across the life sciences, new media, and the theoretical humanities and
reflectsthewaysinwhichlifeworldsarereshapedintheembracingofdigitalization,
globalization, virtualization, prosthesization, and enhancement. The technological,
economic,and ecological challenges ofourtime andthe uncertainty about human,
nonhuman,andplanetaryfuturestheseprocessesspelloutcallforalternativeways
ofthinkingabouthumanityanditsothers.
In surveying as well as commenting on the emerging posthumanist paradigm
within the academy but also within culture more generally, this Handbook focuses
on work that engages critically and creatively with the challenges and affordances
that posthumanism provides. It investigates and contextualizes the transformative
potential of current developments and relates them to past and existing traditions,
ideas,andpractices,aswellastospeculationsonalternativeoremergentscenariosof
thehuman,nonhuman,posthuman,inhuman,ahuman...aswellastheirentangle-
mentsandsocialities.
The Handbook focuses on figurations and prefigurations of the posthuman,
posthumanist practices and methodologies, as well as processes of institutional
anddisciplinarytransformations.Itupholdsnewinter-andtransdisciplinaryencoun-
tersbetweenthehumanitiesandthesciencesthathaveledtocollaborativepractices
andgreaterpoliticalandethicalawarenessoftheplaceofthehuman,thenonhuman,
and their environments, especially in connection with pressing issues like climate
change,thedepletionofnaturalresources,thelossofbiodiversity,globalmigration
flows, terrorism, insecurity, biopolitics, and extinction, as well as the problematic
legacies of colonialism and eurocentrism. It recognizes too the importance of
rethinking the relationship between human agency, the role of technology, and the
nature-culturedivide.
Wethankalltheauthorsfortheircommitmentduringthesechallengingtimesofa
globalpandemic,war,climatechange,andmigrationthathavebeenoverwhelming
v
vi Preface
for all – individually, emotionally, ethically, economically, and socially. At a time
whenpoliticalandconceptualgoalpostsonceagainseemtohavebeenshifted,our
initialcalltocontributorsinSpring2020tobepartofthisHandbookhasnotlostany
of its relevance. If (critical) posthumanism is the kind of theoretical discourse that
promisestotakethenotionofpostanthropocentrismseriously,thenitshouldbewell
placed to argue against both a resurgence of humanism and an accelerated
(bio)technological human obsolescence. As editors, we are humbled and grateful
to have received so many thoughtful chapters that show not only great theoretical
astuteness but also great care for the human and nonhuman in these “posthuman”
times.
TheCriticalPosthumanismNetwork(http://criticalposthumanism.net)
Heidelberg,Germany StefanHerbrechter
Msida,Malta IvanCallus
Basel,Switzerland ManuelaRossini
Msida,Malta MarijaGrech
Winchester,UK MegendeBruin-Molé
Sydney,Australia ChristopherJohnMüller
November2022
Contents
Volume 1
PartI Introduction ....................................... 1
1 CriticalPosthumanism:AnOverview ...................... 3
StefanHerbrechter,IvanCallus,MegendeBruin-Molé,MarijaGrech,
ChristopherJohnMüller,andManuelaRossini
PartII PosthumanismAcrosstheAges ....................... 27
2 PosthumanismandDeepTime ............................ 29
StefanHerbrechter
3 ClassicalPosthumanism ................................. 55
GiuliaMariaChesi
4 EarlyModernPosthumanism ............................. 75
KarenRaber
5 MedievalPosthumanism ................................. 101
AlanS.Montroso
6 PosthumanismandtheEnlightenment ...................... 123
EdgarLandgraf
7 RomanticismandCriticalPosthumanism ................... 145
ElizabethEffinger
8 VictorianPosthumanism ................................. 167
WietskeSmeele
9 ModernismandPosthumanism ........................... 187
PeterAdkins
10 PostmodernismandPosthumanism ........................ 209
JonathanBoulter
vii
viii Contents
11 PosthumanismandSpeculativeFiction ...................... 225
SherrylVint
PartIII TechnologiesandFigurationsofthePosthuman ....... 247
12 TheMonstrousandCriticalPosthumanism .................. 249
DonnaMcCormack
13 CriticalPosthumanismandtheUncannyinIanMcEwan’s
MachinesLikeMe ...................................... 275
PramodK.Nayar
14 ColonialHumanism,Alter-humanismandEx-colonialism ...... 295
SimoneBignall
15 Cute,Otaku,andPosthumanAesthetics .................... 317
CharlieGere
16 Aesthetics,Autopoiesis,andPosthumanism .................. 337
CarstenStrathausen
17 DigitizedandDatafiedEmbodiment:AMore-than-Human
Approach ............................................. 361
DeborahLupton,MarianneClark,andClareSoutherton
18 ScienceandTechnologyStudies(STS)andCritical
Posthumanism:OntologiesintheCriticalZone ............... 385
CasperBruunJensenandEuanAuld
19 TroubledDistinctions:TheSoulinPosthumanistPerspective .... 407
KockuvonStuckrad
20 Home ................................................ 431
DebraBenitaShaw
21 TheAhuman .......................................... 449
A.PatriciaMacCormack
PartIV PosthumanistPracticesandMethodologies ........... 467
22 AnEmergingPosthumanistDesignLandscape ............... 469
ThomasLaurien,LiJönsson,PetraLilja,KristinaLindström,
ErikSandelin,andÅsaStåhl
23 CriticalPosthumanistPracticesfromWithintheMuseum ...... 493
DeborahLawler-Dormer
24 SoundandCriticalPosthumanism ......................... 519
MickeyVallee
Contents ix
25 TheIncommensurabilityofDecolonizingCritical
Posthumanism ......................................... 537
MyraJ.Hird,HillaryPredko,andMickyRenders
26 Accelerationism:AdventuresinSpeed ...................... 557
BenjaminNoys
27 PosthumanismandDigitalGaming ........................ 575
LaurentMilesi
28 PosthumanistPerturbations .............................. 607
PetaHinton
29 CriticalPosthumanism,Justice,andLaw .................... 629
JanniceKäll
30 AffectiveExtractivism ................................... 651
BerndBösel
Volume 2
PartV PosthumanistTransformations ...................... 671
31 LiteratureandPosthumanism ............................ 673
IvanCallus
32 PosthumanismandDrama:FromShakespearetoClimate
ChangePlays .......................................... 703
JuliaHoydis
33 PosthumanismandAnthropology .......................... 725
ChristopherA.HowardandWendelinM.Küpers
34 GeographyandPosthumanism ............................ 749
MaraMieleandChristopherBear
35 PosthumanismandPsychoanalysis ......................... 773
JudithRoof
36 PosthumanistDisabilityStudies ........................... 793
DanGoodley,KirstyLiddiard,KatherineRunswick-Cole,
LucyWatts,SallyWhitney,HannahDobbin,andCraigMoss
37 Human-AnimalStudies .................................. 823
SusanMcHugh
38 PosthumanismandPlantStudies .......................... 841
VanessaLemm
39 DigitalHumanitiesandPosthumanism ...................... 859
MattHayler
x Contents
40 EnvironmentalPosthumanities ............................ 881
ChristineDaigle
41 EnergyHumanities ..................................... 901
LynnBadia
42 MedicalHumanities .................................... 927
AnnaMcFarlane
43 BlueHumanities ....................................... 949
SteveMentz
PartVI PosthumanistIn(ter)ventions ....................... 969
44 Language ............................................. 971
VickiKirby
45 Post-VitalPrajnaparamita ............................... 995
RichardDoyleandTreyConner
46 PosthumanismandtheEndsofTechnology .................. 1021
RichardIveson
47 Entropology ........................................... 1045
LouisArmand
48 PosthumanismandEthics ................................ 1073
JaninaLoh
49 NarrativeandPosthumanism/PosthumanistNarratives ........ 1097
MarcoCaracciolo
50 PosthumanismandTrauma .............................. 1119
SoniaBaelo-Allué
51 Apocalypse ........................................... 1139
FlorianMussgnug
52 PosthumanismandtheAnthropocene ...................... 1159
HannesBergthallerandEvaHorn
53 AnimalFriendship ..................................... 1179
NicoleAnderson
54 EthicsforCognitiveAssemblages:Who’sinChargeHere? ...... 1195
N.KatherineHayles
Index .................................................... 1225
