Curious Kin in Fictions of Posthuman Care

Cultural theory has seen a number of turns that address the human as a posthuman phenomenon. Care philosophy shares this focus on embodiment and vulnerability, making it well-positioned for a posthuman turn. Curious Kin in Fictions of Posthuman Care draws together contemporary narrative fictions that challenge humanist conceptions of care in their imaginative depiction of more-than-human affective bonds. These fictions depict a range of scenarios in which more-than-human care relations supersede human-human relationships, suggesting new human/animal/machine ways of being that offer novel insights into the possible presents and futures of posthuman care.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 26 September 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Over the past decade, cultural theory has undergone a series of transformative shifts, each of which emphasizes the human as an affective, embodied, and ultimately vulnerable animal entangled in intricate webs of more-than-human relations. This shift, often referred to as the "posthuman turn," recognizes the human as a posthuman phenomenon, emphasizing its embeddedness in a complex network of interdependencies. Care philosophy aligns with this posthuman perspective, emphasizing interdependence as the defining condition of human life. In response to this, Curious Kin in Fictions of Posthuman Care brings together contemporary narrative fictions that challenge humanist conceptions of care in their imaginative depiction of more-than-human affective bonds. These fictions highlight the limitations of humanist ethical models in registering and accommodating posthuman relational intimacies, while suggesting a model of care capable of embracing networked interdependencies that extend beyond the human realm.

The texts by Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich, Louisa Hall, Eva Hornung, Kazuo Ishiguro, Bhanu Kapil, and Jesmyn Ward, along with films and television programmes such as Robot and Frank, Under the Skin, and Real Humans, depict a range of scenarios in which more-than-human care relations surpass human-human relationships and suggest new ways of being that offer novel insights into the possible presents and futures of posthuman care.

Curious Kin in Fictions of Posthuman Care explores how these fictions engage in their own theorizing, imagining the politics, ethics, and aesthetics of specific, contextualized posthuman care relations. By examining these narratives, we gain a deeper understanding of the complexities and possibilities of care in a world that is increasingly shaped by technology, biology, and interspecies relationships.

Weight: 534g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192886125