Screening the Posthuman

The relationship between humans and the more-than-human world has been transformed by recent technological, ecological, and cultural changes, and Screening the Posthuman explores this development through a heterogenous body of twenty-first-century films that turn to the figure of the posthuman. The volume emphasizes humanity's entanglement in broader biological, technological, and social worlds and exposes new models of subjectivity, community, and desire. It draws on scholarship associated with critical posthumanist theory and advocates for a rigorous posthumanist critique that avoids humanist nostalgia and transhumanist fantasy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 10 July 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The relationship between humans and the more-than-human world has been fundamentally altered by recent technological, ecological, and cultural transformations. This shift has led to a reevaluation of established assumptions about our place in the world. Screening the Posthuman explores this development through a diverse collection of twenty-first-century films that turn to the figure of the posthuman as a means of understanding this transformation.

The films analyzed in this volume span a wide range of genres, national contexts, and industrial settings, demonstrating that the posthuman is not limited to science fiction but is present in a variety of cinematic forms. Through close examinations of films such as Kûki ningyô [Air Doll] (dir. Hirokazu Koreeda 2009), Testrol és lélekrol [On Body and Soul] (dir. Ildiko Enyedi 2017), and Nomadland (dir. Chloé Zhao 2020), Screening the Posthuman highlights the ways in which the posthuman on screen crosses boundaries between filmic genres, national contexts, and industrial settings.

One of the key themes of posthuman cinema is the entanglement of humanity in broader biological, technological, and social worlds. These films expose new models of subjectivity, community, and desire, challenging traditional humanist notions of individualism and autonomy. By emphasizing humanity's interconnectedness, posthuman cinema encourages a rigorous posthumanist critique that avoids both humanist nostalgia and transhumanist fantasy in its attention to the excitements and anxieties of posthuman experience.

Screening the Posthuman draws on scholarship associated with critical posthumanist theory, an ongoing project unified by a decentering of the human. This body of scholarship provides a framework for analyzing the posthuman in film and highlights the ways in which the posthuman challenges traditional understandings of identity, agency, and subjectivity. By applying this scholarship to cinema, Screening the Posthuman advocates for a rigorous posthumanist critique that avoids both humanist nostalgia and transhumanist fantasy in its attention to the excitements and anxieties of posthuman experience.

In conclusion, the relationship between humans and the more-than-human world has been transformed by recent technological, ecological, and cultural transformations. Screening the Posthuman explores this development through a diverse collection of twenty-first-century films that turn to the figure of the posthuman as a means of understanding this transformation. By emphasizing humanity's entanglement in broader biological, technological, and social worlds, these films expose new models of subjectivity, community, and desire. Through a rigorous posthumanist critique that avoids humanist nostalgia and transhumanist fantasy, Screening the Posthuman advocates for a deeper understanding of the complexities and uncertainties of our posthuman condition.

Weight: 600g
Dimension: 242 x 161 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197538562