Screening the Posthuman
Exploring Humanity's Evolving Relationship with Technology and Nature
Claire Henry author Pansy Duncan author Missy Molloy author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:27th Jul '23
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£81.00(9780197538562)
This insightful exploration examines twenty-first-century films through the lens of posthumanism, revealing new narratives about humanity's relationship with technology and nature in Screening the Posthuman.
In recent years, technological, ecological, and cultural shifts have significantly altered our understanding of the relationship between humans and the more-than-human world. Screening the Posthuman delves into this complex landscape by examining a diverse array of twenty-first-century films that utilize the concept of the 'posthuman' to engage with these transformations. By analyzing films such as Kûki ningyô [Air Doll], Testrol és lélekrol [On Body and Soul], and Nomadland, the book illustrates how the posthuman narrative extends beyond the confines of science fiction, permeating various genres and cultural contexts.
The exploration in Screening the Posthuman reveals how contemporary cinema reflects humanity's intricate connections with biological, technological, and social realms. Through this lens, the book uncovers new understandings of subjectivity, community, and desire, emphasizing the entanglement of human existence with broader ecological and technological systems. By showcasing these films, the author highlights the significance of the posthuman figure in contemporary storytelling.
Drawing on critical posthumanist theory, Screening the Posthuman serves as a pioneering examination of how these ideas manifest in film. The work advocates for a nuanced critique that moves away from both humanist nostalgia and transhumanist idealism, focusing instead on the complexities and challenges posed by posthuman experiences. This systematic approach positions the book as an essential resource for understanding the evolving narratives surrounding humanity in the age of rapid change.
In summary, Pansy Duncan, Claire Henry, and Missy Molloy have fashioned an impressive critical exercise on posthuman theory that will surely serve as a crucial text and foundational source of scholarship in the emerging, evolving discourse in our collective engagement with the posthuman, in an ever decentralized contemporary understanding of what it means to be human. * M. Sellers Johson, Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism *
The book thus serves as a foundational text for scholars interested in the posthuman in cinema, as it not only functions as a useful introduction to critical posthumanism and its cinematic manifestations, but also invites readers to think theoretically beyond the corpus of works analysed here. * Karim Townsend, Alphaville *
The reader comes away with the sense that in its depiction of contemporary life, cinema is cooperating with posthuman studies to decenter the experience of the human, as conceived by liberal humanism. * Choice *
The volume is a welcome addition to both film studies and posthuman studies because its content points to the layering of figures such as zombies and revenants within the tropes and rhetorics of popular culture. * Pramod K Nayar, The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory *
ISBN: 9780197538579
Dimensions: 156mm x 237mm x 19mm
Weight: 472g
320 pages