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Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity

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Summary:Our project on fatness begins by turning attention to the multiple cultural instances in which fatness has been intrinsically linked with notions such as self—neglect and poor self—management. In Foucauldian terms, we analyse the fat subject as a failed homo economicus, an individual who has failed to be an “entrepreneur of himself, being for himself his own capital, being for himself his own producer, being for himself the source of [his] earnings” (Foucault, 2008, p. 226). From this perspective, we analyse instances of collective hatred towards fat subjects as direct results of the biopolitical triplet of responsibility, rationality, and morality. Morality is our bridge into the field of posthumanism, in which, as we demonstrate, these biopolitical imperatives also apply, reinforced by the field’s fascination with prosthetics and enhancement. Where, by biopolitical standards, fat subjects have failed to manage themselves, posthuman subjects find themselves guilty of not responsibly, rationally, and morally manipulating themselves to optimal productivity. Using criticism that disability studies scholars like Sarah S. Jain and Vivian Sobchack have voiced about posthumanism, we demonstrate the ways in which, within posthumanism, all subjects can be found as lacking when compared to their potential, enhanced post­human version.
Main Authors:Apostolidou, Sofia
Other Authors:Sturm, Jules
Subject:biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
Year:2016
Country:Portugal
Document type:article
Access type:unknown
Associated institution:Cogitatio Press
Language:English
Origin:Social Inclusion
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author Apostolidou, Sofia
author2 Sturm, Jules
author2_role author
author_facet Apostolidou, Sofia
Sturm, Jules
author_role author
country_str PT
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datacite.creators.creator.creatorName.fl_str_mv Apostolidou, Sofia
Sturm, Jules
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datacite.subjects.subject.fl_str_mv biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
datacite.titles.title.fl_str_mv Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Apostolidou, Sofia
Sturm, Jules
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v4i4.705
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cogitatio
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Social Inclusion; Vol 4, No 4 (2016): Humanity as a Contested Concept: Relations between Disability and ‘Being Human’; 150-159
2183-2803
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
dc.title.fl_str_mv Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
description Our project on fatness begins by turning attention to the multiple cultural instances in which fatness has been intrinsically linked with notions such as self—neglect and poor self—management. In Foucauldian terms, we analyse the fat subject as a failed homo economicus, an individual who has failed to be an “entrepreneur of himself, being for himself his own capital, being for himself his own producer, being for himself the source of [his] earnings” (Foucault, 2008, p. 226). From this perspective, we analyse instances of collective hatred towards fat subjects as direct results of the biopolitical triplet of responsibility, rationality, and morality. Morality is our bridge into the field of posthumanism, in which, as we demonstrate, these biopolitical imperatives also apply, reinforced by the field’s fascination with prosthetics and enhancement. Where, by biopolitical standards, fat subjects have failed to manage themselves, posthuman subjects find themselves guilty of not responsibly, rationally, and morally manipulating themselves to optimal productivity. Using criticism that disability studies scholars like Sarah S. Jain and Vivian Sobchack have voiced about posthumanism, we demonstrate the ways in which, within posthumanism, all subjects can be found as lacking when compared to their potential, enhanced post­human version.
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Sturm, Jules
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spelling en-USWeighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested HumanityApostolidou, SofiaSturm, Julesbiopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesisCopyright (c) 2016 Sofia Apostolidou, Jules Sturmhttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v4i4.705DOIoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/705OAIhttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/705URLhttps://doi.org/10.17645/si.v4i4.705DOIhttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/705/705URLHasVersion2016-11-10en-USOur project on fatness begins by turning attention to the multiple cultural instances in which fatness has been intrinsically linked with notions such as self—neglect and poor self—management. In Foucauldian terms, we analyse the fat subject as a failed homo economicus, an individual who has failed to be an “entrepreneur of himself, being for himself his own capital, being for himself his own producer, being for himself the source of [his] earnings” (Foucault, 2008, p. 226). From this perspective, we analyse instances of collective hatred towards fat subjects as direct results of the biopolitical triplet of responsibility, rationality, and morality. Morality is our bridge into the field of posthumanism, in which, as we demonstrate, these biopolitical imperatives also apply, reinforced by the field’s fascination with prosthetics and enhancement. Where, by biopolitical standards, fat subjects have failed to manage themselves, posthuman subjects find themselves guilty of not responsibly, rationally, and morally manipulating themselves to optimal productivity. Using criticism that disability studies scholars like Sarah S. Jain and Vivian Sobchack have voiced about posthumanism, we demonstrate the ways in which, within posthumanism, all subjects can be found as lacking when compared to their potential, enhanced post­human version.Cogitatioapplication/pdfen-USSocial Inclusion; Vol 4, No 4 (2016): Humanity as a Contested Concept: Relations between Disability and ‘Being Human’; 150-1592183-2803engjournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501literatureVoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
spellingShingle Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
Apostolidou, Sofia
biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
status SINGLETON
status_str VoR
subject.fl_str_mv biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
title Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
title_full Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
title_fullStr Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
title_full_unstemmed Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
title_short Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
title_sort Weighing Posthumanism: Fatness and Contested Humanity
topic biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
topic_facet biopolitics; disability studies; fat studies; posthumanism; prosthesis
url https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v4i4.705
visible 1