Speaker
Dr
Hylton White
(University of the Witwatersrand)
Description
In this paper, I explore connections between humanism, posthumanism and neoliberal constructions of difference. I ask questions about the theoretical and applied efficacy of posthumanism as a legitimate way of thinking anthropologically, and argue that, ultimately, anthropology has always been, and should remain to be, a fundamentally humanistic endeavour. I root the paper in the context of increasing global inequalities, ethno-nationalisms, the destruction of ecosystems, the imposition of physical and metaphysical boundaries and other products of neoliberal dynamics. Of particular concern is the impact that neoliberalism has made in the Academy, specifically in anthropology as an intellectual pursuit, giving rise to a plethora of twists and ‘turns’ through which practitioners seek to carve out spaces of particularity through increasing peculiarity. I argue that, in this current global context, posthumanist approaches have the potential to help generate meaningful understandings of contemporary lived experiences only if they remain firmly embedded in their humanist origins.
Primary author
Dr
Hylton White
(University of the Witwatersrand)
