Call for Papers Special Issue
“Gender and The Posthuman: Genealogies, Evolutions, Visions”
The specific focus of this issue is the relation between gender and the posthuman in a comprehensive and inclusive way. On one side, we wish to analyze the crucial contribution of Feminism and Gender Studies to the posthuman, emphasizing thinkers, events and practices which contributed to the development of the posthuman turn. On the other, we wish to reflect upon the significance of gender in relation, not only to the present and to the past, but also to the close and far futures.
Deadline for abstract proposal (500 words) is: January 31th, 2014.
If accepted, the delivery of completed essays will be April 1st, 2014.
The Volume will appear in December 2014.
Genealogies In this section, we would like to focus on all the aspects which, generated in the fields of Gender Studies, Women’s History and Feminism as a theory and a practice, may be relevant to the posthuman. From its well known theoretical mothers, such as Donna Haraway and Katherine Hayles, to feminist artists, psychologists and musicians who might have contributed to the development of a post-dualistic and post-anthropocentric approach. We would also like to offer space for recognition to all the unknown mothers of the posthuman: women have historically sustained non-hierarchical approaches such as sister circles, oral sharing of collective knowledge and cooperatives. Therefore, we invite participants to look for genealogical paths of the posthuman, not only in hegemonic history, but also in alternative traditions and archives of knowledge, such as dance, oral history, body art and cosmetics, lived practices, everyday ethics, relational psychology and spirituality.
The Present and the Near Future The present offers a wide field of reflection on the relation between gender and the posthuman. We would like to approach the different ways gender might be perceived within the field of Posthumanism, Transhumanism, Antihumanism, and New Materialisms. Papers focussing on such interrelations are welcome. From a bio-cultural perspective, many points can be raised as well: from female avatars, portrayed in video-games outside of any biological kinship, such as menstruation or pregnancy; to emerging biotechnologies and the the multiplication of maternal roles (from the egg donors to the gestational surrogates). Which kind of approaches might a posthuman cyberpsychology develop? How can we pursue a posthumanist education which includes an awareness of speciesism, together with sexism, racism, ableism and heterosexism? What do diverse concepts such as veganism, ethical banking, ecology and space migration, have to do with gender and the posthuman? We welcome articles developing reflections on identity, interspecies cohabitation, education and everyday practices in the posthumanist era.
Far Future The posthuman is sometimes seen as a further evolutionary development of the human species. In this sense, what are the implications of gender, sex and race, among other intersectional categories, to the embodiment of the posthuman? Will the biology of the posthuman hold categories such as female, male and intersex? Could some sort of hermaphroditism, for instance, be part the next evolutionary step? Let’s now talk about artificial intelligence and the development of machine consciousness: what does gender have to do with it? When approaching the notion of the far future, we suggest to use a radical feminist and posthumanist imagination to develop desirable visions. We also welcome articles which point out possible future risks, and engage in a reflection on how to avoid them. Articles focussed on such subjects could relate to the rich field of feminist sci-fi, as well as bioethics and world mythologies.
GUEST EDITORS Dr. Francesca Ferrando (PhD in Philosophy, MA in Gender Studies) Prof. Simona Marino (Universita’ degli Studi di Napoli Federico II)
SUBMISSIONS & DEADLINES Manuscripts are expected to follow standard guidelines of the journal La Camera Blu and they will be peer-reviewed. Papers will be selected and arranged according to related topics. Equal voice will be given, if possible, to presentations from the arts, humanities, sciences, and technological fields. Deadline for submission of proposals (500 words) is january 31th, 2014. Proposals should be sent to these three emails: PS. Note that, in the following email addresses, [at] means @ 1. posthuman.gender[at]gmail.com 2. Dr. Francesca Ferrando francesca.ferrando[at]gmail.com 3. Prof. Simona Marino simarino[at]unina.it If accepted, the delivery of completed essays (between 3.000 and 6.000 words) will be April 1st, 2014. The Volume will appear in December 2014.
