July 18th, 2009 / 8:58 am
 Uncategorized

A Prehistory of the Posthuman

New book out from the ever estimable University of Minnesota Press called The Dada Cyborg: Visions of the New Human in Weimar Berlin by Matthew Biro.

“In an era when technology, biology, and culture are becoming ever more closely connected, The Dada Cyborg explains how the cyborg as we know it today actually developed between 1918 and 1933 when German artists gave visual form to their utopian hopes and fantasies in a fearful response to World War I.”

16 Comments

  1. July 18th, 2009 / 6:31 pm Steven Trull—

      Wow. That book looks like fun! I am totally curious. Have you (Christopher Higgs) had a chance to read it? I’ve got about ten books on dada because those people (and what they did, especially, in Zurich-Berlin) make me laugh! They provided, I think, some great responses to art and war–two practices that will always (fortunately or unfortunately) be with us.

  2. July 18th, 2009 / 2:31 pm Steven Trull—

      Wow. That book looks like fun! I am totally curious. Have you (Christopher Higgs) had a chance to read it? I’ve got about ten books on dada because those people (and what they did, especially, in Zurich-Berlin) make me laugh! They provided, I think, some great responses to art and war–two practices that will always (fortunately or unfortunately) be with us.

  3. July 18th, 2009 / 6:40 pm Blake Butler—

      i fear that the addition of mr. higgs is going to eat my bank account to christland

  4. July 18th, 2009 / 2:40 pm Blake Butler—

      i fear that the addition of mr. higgs is going to eat my bank account to christland

  5. July 18th, 2009 / 7:22 pm Janey Smith—

      Totally.

  6. July 18th, 2009 / 3:22 pm Janey Smith—

      Totally.

  7. July 18th, 2009 / 8:18 pm Christopher Higgs—

      Hey Steven — nope, haven’t read it yet; but looking forward to it! Aside from the cool new perspective on Dada, I’m excited for it because I haven’t really studied much about cyborg theory beyond the standard Katherine Hayles stuff.

  8. July 18th, 2009 / 4:18 pm Christopher Higgs—

      Hey Steven — nope, haven’t read it yet; but looking forward to it! Aside from the cool new perspective on Dada, I’m excited for it because I haven’t really studied much about cyborg theory beyond the standard Katherine Hayles stuff.

  9. July 18th, 2009 / 11:50 pm Merzmensch—

      This book looks like a must-have for me! :-)
      I wonder, if they write about Schwitters – whose characters became mechanic funny and funny mechanic (in the Bergson’s meaning).

  10. July 18th, 2009 / 7:50 pm Merzmensch—

      This book looks like a must-have for me! :-)
      I wonder, if they write about Schwitters – whose characters became mechanic funny and funny mechanic (in the Bergson’s meaning).

  11. July 19th, 2009 / 4:03 am Ross Brighton—

      Schwitters is a god.

      And I second Blake.

      posthumanism and Deleuze cross-over quite nicely. I am very very interested in the potential adding Dada to the pool has.

  12. July 19th, 2009 / 12:03 am Ross Brighton—

      Schwitters is a god.

      And I second Blake.

      posthumanism and Deleuze cross-over quite nicely. I am very very interested in the potential adding Dada to the pool has.

  13. July 19th, 2009 / 8:04 am Ken Baumann—

      2nd’d

  14. July 19th, 2009 / 4:04 am Ken Baumann—

      2nd’d

  15. July 19th, 2009 / 8:07 pm Steven Trull—

      Then you might like some of the stuff by Donna Haraway:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Haraway

      (I have read Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. Try it. I’ll check out Hayles for sure. Thanks.)

  16. July 19th, 2009 / 4:07 pm Steven Trull—

      Then you might like some of the stuff by Donna Haraway:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Haraway

      (I have read Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. Try it. I’ll check out Hayles for sure. Thanks.)