Bodys and Jeoptictivities. The Titel is I'm a late 2014
century techno crown, Bodys and Ceptictivities in Cyberpunk.
I'm like to stone to out to tell you a little bit
about Cyberpunk as I wasn't sure this is not a science-fiction conference,
but fantastics, or kind of in corporates all the areas,
so I thought maybe all give a little introduction.
It's a sub-Genre of science-fiction. Cyberpunk office a view of
the future right to round the cona.
Globes band in corporations and he row week underground resistance to a
successively aggressive capitalist and exploitative system all the usual engredience in
Cyberpunk novel
Reading an Interpitting, Cyberpunk Novels, can offer
insights into our own current situation in the Western World.
We're capitalism and techno you foria go hand in hand with
an inhilhilation excities, for instant with by technology or Genetics,
which evoked slots of fears as as well as euphoria.
By looking at Cyberpunk Mythologies in relation to the current emergence
of new cultural formations in and around Cyberspace,
we can invest agate ideological the mentions of contemporary Cyberculture
Particularly with a feminist agenda,
it can proof useful to attent to the expressive practices of Cyberpunk,
to aim educritical analysis over these specifics also you have socio
his toy conjunction, which we're experiencing right now.
So to find out, what's our world like at the moment?
As every discourse, Cyberpunk is produced with in,
is specific, cultural historical framework, and is there for
a symbolic enactment of our equal cultural pre-opcupations worries and hopes.
Therefore, looking at a cyberpunk,
novel not only tells as what our future might possibly look
like by extraplating current trends into the future
It can also bring into Christsolized focused issues that are relevant today.
And demonstrate underlying fears, for instance fears of the decisions of the Boundaries,
between Human and Machine or between the sexas between mail and female.
And it can't also demonstrate, what established truths our society
rests appone as for instance the belief that we need firm and reliable boundaries between certain things.
Mat we want of those truths that are society still clings too.
So when trying to understand and defined cyberpunk and the lineared its position within science fiction,
This most helpeful to begin with bruce sterlings manifesto,
which is the nonchen 86 prefests to Mirrorshades,
the Cyberpunk Athology, which was edited by him.
And without read to rating the common difficulties associated with a defining genres
and deciding who belongs and who doesn't and why in for would treasing.
I'm not ging to going to that. I would just
like to sketch the main features that Cyberpunk features of Cyberpunk that sterling lists.
He says, it is a trialed of the 1980s,
the very much at child of that time,
and of traditional science fiction.
It is in love with style and with a visionary concentration
of images, which offen results in kind of centery overload
in the reader
And it mixes, I quote,
the ralm of high tech and the modern pop underground.
This is kind of where the punk element comes in and a quote.
Cyberpunk is specifically 1980s, because this was the time of
beginning globalization, the time when technology became visoral.
When it's not distance remote and impressive anymore is,
we don't have like this huge industrial things that represent technology,
but now technology,
turns into the things that are lot closer to us,
they's stick to our skin,
there are sometimes even under our skin or in our minds.
So this kind of our technology is going and
that kind of started specifically in den 80s.
And also the time of a Urban streetwise subculture.
And like I said, all of these aspects feature prominently in Cyberpunk.
Now, science fiction has always dealt with technology and it's
impact on humanity and on cultures. What is new?
About Cyberpunk sterling claims is that most of the outhors actually
now live in an extrem league technologized world and have also
grown up in this world,
in a way he claims that that was not the
case before
And that of course influences,
there are attituded to as technology. They are as we
are imersed in technology and at the same time,
the calest technofilia of the past,
does not seem to be the right artitude anymore.
It this technofilia, seems to be long to a vanished
and sluggish year, when authority still had comfortable margin of control.
And there's feeling doesn't seem to fit anymore to the late
20 century or the 20 first century.
So this has changed
Sterlings Vision of Cyberpunk is shaped by his belief
and it's power of subversion and it's tack on normal
see and on the social economic state this quo.
Both of which, ähm, so this subversion is rooted.
And it's hacker, rocker, punk attitude. And at
mentality. And it it's veloriization of the socially marginalized.
Wether are not, this is all just the marketing hype,
which sterling and others half been accused of,
just turning cyberpunk into something that is really cool
and punk and hip and creating it,
by just calling it that way,
all with that this really has a political than mention two
it and really it's averse of their mentione, has been
hotely debated with a mong several scrollers. I would like
to alg you that would out having to resort to in
eye the our decision and claiming it's always these or all with that.
One can definitely state that cyberpunk deals with issues of post
human ism with questions of late capitalism and corporate power,
with human machine interractions that you road the common boundaries,
with questions of reality and virtuality and all these issues are
relevant to our are current western media
such rated late capitalists society
So, in that aspect, I think,
it certainly does have a political dimension to it.
For these and other reasons, Cyberpunk is offent diemed,
the post modern incarnation of Science Fiction.
It's really clean me call that. Science Fiction,
which usually normally science Fiction favors linear causent effects story and
realist mode of narration
entopical kind of steps
out of that
Cyberpunk, disn't of the pick the usual struggle of man against machine of nature against culture,
but so it is open client, insteaded breaks down this boundary,
not having man here and machine, there,
but and I glong, I glong with Veranica Hollinger,
here who's days in a article, cybernetically constructions,
you says,
we can read cyberpunk as an analysis of the postmodern identification of human and machine.
So we don't have the strugglen anymore,
but have the actual merging those no real difference anymore
Sorry. Es ist Stilling Stress a Cyberpunks emergence out of the tradition of Science Fiction.
It is influenced by right us of the new wave,
such as Alison, Delaney, all this, ballard,
as well as right us from the heart, tradition,
stapleton a well, so high line.
And it is all this always found of visionary,
such as dick or bester. And therefore to him Cyberpunk
has rison from with in the as ever genre.
It's not innovation, but a modern reform that's what
he claims
And has been point it out, by several ecritics,
that's sterling as well is others dealing with he origins
of cyberpunk, toos to ignore the mothers of Cyberpunk.
Namly imparticularly the feminist science fiction rights of the 1970s,
who for home and add high humanist agenda is are central ass for cyberpunks,
we kind of both have the same.
Ams in that area, even if from a very different angle,
but still this is an influence on cyberpunk,
that is just not pointed out by most Critics.
So it's that both are posthumanist or anti-humanist in their attempt to
distruct the cocherent subject. The cocherent subject which is grounded
in the human body. And both wish to radically decenter
the human body, the sacred Icon of the essential self.
The eglection of women ofhors in the construction of cyberpunks history,
is not the only missorginistic attitude with we can find in Cyberpunk.
A large part of Cyberpunks appeal lice in its promise to
get rate of the body in explorations of the pleasures of virtuality.
And there's of course reaterated the cartegian mind body split.
And this mind body split that promises transcendance only at the price
of rejecting the body has long been experienced by me soginistic.
In that women are equated much more with their bodys than men all.
And in that way through their boyology actually can not
reach the same trancendance that man can reach
And cannot create full human status. Specially William Gibsons not a neuromancer,
which is frequently regarded as the quintessential cyberpunk novel,
has been attacked for seeing in the body,
nothing else, but meet,
which to be gotten right of esquickly as possible.
But Sherryl wind in Herburg bodys of tomorrow.
On they have a hand tries to restaurate the repressed body,
as she says, to the text in hurry reading.
And she wants to show that are more different differentiated perception
is possible. And that cyberpunk actually equote in terrorates embodied
Simply rejected and that's that, but actually it as the
question well that, what is mean to be imbodded,
what is it mean not to be imbodded anymore?
And where does that leave our sense of self our identity?
So five from simply gloryfying the disimbodyed purity of existence
in Cyberspace, it puts this into question. Now,
I've a longer quote from Wind Spook, Bodys of Tomorrow,
she says, Gibson's novel articulates a particular type of subjectivity
that is interested in repressing the body.
So there is this I do it to repress the body.
And it's suggest why the stance would be desirable.
So that is a tractive to gettered of the body.
Because the subject wishes to sustain a construction of mastery and
the body underminds this construction.
Our body's always do strange things, they get sake
whatever and we don't have to trust him. So we can see,
why they smart be attractive to gettered of the body?
But this by the appeal of this fantasy,
the body in the novel is continually shown to be
in in escapable part of cases,
the protagonists,
And the actual condition of being with out a body
as shown to be in absence observed activity,
there's one character who is not happabledy and who's not my happy about that.
And once to be shut of in the end as well,
because his that's not really a life.
I would on, you a long with Shall Wind,
that Cyberpunks relation to the body is much more complex,
then for instance McCarren judges in his article corpses animals Machines and Manicans.
As he says, the interest Cyberpunk right just take in
the body is of a strictly negative kind.
A kind which consistently affirms and even celebrates cartegien decotomy.
So that as a very hard changument and I think It's
a lot more complex than that. Stillings 1996 novel holy
fire which are want to talk about in a bit more detail now,
puts the body right at the center of its explorations.
And instant of aiming to get rid of the combos and
body for existence in Cyberspace. The body in this novel
is shown to be something and hereantly connected to subjectivity.
Material existence, the sense of self and technology all these things,
three things, are into twined and interact in complex
and dynamic fashion
The Novel in that way participates in what what wind
calls the kritik of contemporary information culture,
providing concrete examples of the risks inherent to life in the information age.
Here specifically the dangers of Surveillance of medical tireny and
of shaping our bodys to our personal needs.
Since the Novel is not very well known,
I will give a very should summary of the plot.
The main protagonist is maya siemen and was born in 2001
and would there for be orady alive right now.
And is now in the novel 90 4
years old
During the all most century of a life things have changed quite abit.
Biomedizin is the dominating industry and powers in the hands of wealthy senior citizens.
The world is ruled by global Jiron to cratic elite,
the circle polity. But wealth is not alone in
this societes, is not to enough in this society.
Your medical records are publicly available on the net and if
you do not do everything to maintain your health, then
you will have a hard time doing business,
because people will not trust you.
And you will not qualify for better medical procedures
So seemingly liberal, because Alkohol and our cottics are not elegal,
but any consumption there of will of course show on your records.
Citizens are cursed into complying with a politics needs. For hardworking,
responsible, trust will the and self-sacrificing citizens,
who always have the best of the polity and mind. A
mong the medical technics there are available in the to late
22 century are different form forms of life extension.
And meyer, who has been living a cause us insensible
life and has taken maticulus care of a bodyly health,
qualifized for the most radical and meticulus upgrade technology,
that will turn here into 20 euro to to again.
So it my be she's 96 now and she will
turn into 20 euro
What after the percedion, not only, how body has been completely restructured?
Hur identity has also changed. And casting offer old,
careful and conservative self, she tricks the medical personal and
runs of to Europe for fun and adventure.
As we've seen surveillance, figures largerly in the society at
the end of the 20-first centery.
What is considered to be private has changed significantly?
You health and your body, certainly end.
And stead of small talking about the weather,
people now talk about their elements and what kind of medical sedures, they going through.
And other issues of your private life or equally open,
when quote, my assass,
tell me about those two young people love a there
Do it's that it or his monical cleaning.
Are you kidding would business is that of use? Oh,
I not asking you would networks, they're accessing my are explained.
I just want to know little bit about their personal lives. Oh,
okay, no problem is do it said, relieved.
So you personal private life is not private definitely.
Besonders a surveillance on the net citizens are also abserved with in their own homes.
My are for instant had at cleaning woman coming to ice
a week to clean up and to check up on her.
Quote, more sadies, culture civil support work,
housekeeping, because that was a kindly addescription than social worker,
health inspector or policy spy and of quote
But not only are people concently monited doing their lives,
even after death, the watchful eide is not rest.
Is can be seen in the description of Martin, who
was a former lover of moyer of mortins funeral.
I'm going to shouldn't that little bit. Das heißt,
the scan is set to work, mortins official medical imaging.
Now all that all the scanners do all the research.
And then they publicly nailed to down the cause of death
with other cybernatic certainty.
All the data was needly and publicly filed
on the net
So, again, the Surveillance still there. And of
course, meyer is told before hand, that harry covery
process will intale even more detail surveillance than is usual since
a procedure. So new. It's interesting to know
to here that the Surveillance equipment for the recovery period,
which my are can examine on a previous patient,
is compared to julary and other female.
Accessories. Okay. I crowd, a new done appeared, he
was fast toon from head to food in what seem to
be junk julary. A plastic corronate, earings force earleashes.
A little blued on grest plate
Bracelits, 10-Authentical Fingerings. Are doesn't at heas
of patches on his tour so growing at this,
nee, buckles, anclets and shiny little tourings.
As we can see these practices of surveillance produce,
what for cow has term dothsile bodys. Individuals that are so
pre-occuplied with monitoring their bodys and taking care of them,
they are no threat to the established order.
For cow has never really address the gendered aspect of these
dothsile bodys something that here has been criticed off.
And similarly, I would all you stilling questions surveillance in his novel,
now that is he bring in the gender aspekt doesn't
address the gender issue. So gender as seen as natural
given with in the novel. And that ask to a
relating to gender is that woman hood in the novel is
defined inclused relation to sexuality and both of these aspect are grounded in natural ness.
So there's a natural sexuality and a natural what it,
yes, one many to okay. And several locations,
myer describes forselve as beyond woman hood,
because she know long the has desires for a lover or
a family
Shit says, I'm not to girl anymore.
Nobody loves me, I don't love anyone.
I don't hulk anyone. I don't have sex.
I don't have monthlys. I'm a post sexual person.
I'm a post womenly person. And then I'm a late
204 century techno crown. So you can see how bummenhood
is automatically link to sexuality or to a
carring we havia