TV Series (Dec 2023)
Penser le posthumain avec les séries de SF ?
Abstract
The posthuman has been central in TV shows since the first space opera (Star Trek) which has left its mark on its legacy of SF TV series. From 1966 to the present time, from the information paradigm proposed by cybernetics then, to screen culture and the fantasies of transhumanism now, the social and cultural context may have changed, but what is at stake with the third industrial revolution seems the same. Recent SF TV series (post-2010), such as Orphan Black (BBC America, 2013-2017), Westworld (HBO, 2016-) or The Expanse (Syfy, 2015-2022) show that critical posthumanism remains an operative approach, particularly since it also relates to Donna Haraway’s cyborg feminism. In her famous Cyborg Manifesto, her examples were taken from feminist SF novels of the 1970s. As a figure, the cyborg has inspired feminist philosophers who argue that going beyond dualism is necessary (Braidotti/Hoquet). However, Haraway and Larue also illustrate a critical evolution from cyberfeminism towards a complex and intricate web of approaches which encompass ecofeminism, material feminism, queer studies, posthuman feminism, or even animal studies. This article aims at assessing from an epistemocritical perspective how recent SF TV series inform the elaboration of contemporary critical thought, and more specifically that of critical posthumanism.
