A Theoretical Framework for the Critical Posthumanities

Abstract

What are the parameters that define a posthuman knowing subject, her scientific credibility and ethical accountability? Taking the posthumanities as an emergent field of enquiry based on the convergence of posthumanism and post-anthropocentrism, I argue that posthuman knowledge claims go beyond the critiques of the universalist image of ‘Man’ and of human exceptionalism. The conceptual foundation I envisage for the critical posthumanities is a neo-Spinozist monistic ontology that assumes radical immanence, i.e. the primacy of intelligent and self-organizing matter. This implies that the posthuman knowing subject has to be understood as a relational embodied and embedded, affective and accountable entity and not only as a transcendental consciousness. Two related notions emerge from this claim: firstly, the mind-body continuum – i.e. the embrainment of the body and embodiment of the mind – and secondly, the nature-culture continuum – i.e. ‘naturecultural’ and ‘humanimal’ transversal bonding. The article explores these key conceptual and methodological perspectives and discusses the implications of the critical posthumanities for practices in the contemporary ‘research’ university.

Working the edges of Posthuman disability studies: theorising with disabled young people with life‐limiting impairments

“…It is through these human‐animal‐technology assemblages that our co‐researchers get a place at the humanist table. However, subjectivity is not restricted to bound individuals, it is also a ‘co‐operative trans‐species effort… that takes place transversally, in‐between nature/technology; male/female; black/white; local/global; present/past – in assemblages that flow across and displace the binaries’ (Braidotti : 2). Disability illuminates the tension between our sovereign and assembled selves; something that we all experience in different ways across the lifecourse.…”

“…Reflecting on the significant impact of our co‐researchers’ writing we think that our collaborative work together contributes to two areas of theoretical development. Firstly, our paper adds to a new interdisciplinary field of scholarship entitled the Critical Posthumanities (Braidotti ). In this piece Braidotti acknowledges disability studies as a ‘crucial generative trans‐disciplinary hub of posthuman knowledge’ that is ‘firmly grounded in the present (as actual and virtual), which means that they take real‐life events seriously, and by extension, take power seriously’ (Braidotti : 9).…”

“…Firstly, our paper adds to a new interdisciplinary field of scholarship entitled the Critical Posthumanities (Braidotti ). In this piece Braidotti acknowledges disability studies as a ‘crucial generative trans‐disciplinary hub of posthuman knowledge’ that is ‘firmly grounded in the present (as actual and virtual), which means that they take real‐life events seriously, and by extension, take power seriously’ (Braidotti : 9). Critical Posthumanities is ‘The Missing Peoples’ Humanities’ (Braidotti : 19).…”

“…In this piece Braidotti acknowledges disability studies as a ‘crucial generative trans‐disciplinary hub of posthuman knowledge’ that is ‘firmly grounded in the present (as actual and virtual), which means that they take real‐life events seriously, and by extension, take power seriously’ (Braidotti : 9). Critical Posthumanities is ‘The Missing Peoples’ Humanities’ (Braidotti : 19). Studies such as these critique humanism, expand upon posthuman possibilities and, at times, offer ‘alternative visions of the humanist, knowledge and society’ (Ibid).…”

“…Their assemblage is a truly posthuman one and one, in this case, valued too by a humanist cultural imaginary. Lucy and Molly preempt Braidotti's recent writing; specifically her argument that we are all now ‘humanimals’, trans‐corporeal human‐animal compounds (Braidotti ; 10) but we are also clearly engaging at the same time with neohumanist claims (Braidotti : 4). As Sally commented in a written response to the paper:

I would go so far as to say that Ethan has taught me how to be a person better.

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