The Souls of Cyberfolk: Posthumanism as Vernacular Theory (Electronic Mediations) [Paperback]

Thomas Foster (Author)

Book Description

Series: Electronic Mediations | Publication Date: May 1, 2005

In The Souls of Cyberfolk, Thomas Foster traces the transformation of cyberpunk from a literary movement into a multimedia cultural phenomenon. He examines how cyberpunk defined a framework for thinking about the cultural implications of new technologies - a framework flexible enough to incorporate issues of gender, queer sexualities, and ethnic and racial differences as well as developments in nationalist models of citizenship and global economic flows. Beginning with William Gibson's paradigmatic text Neuromancer, and continuing through the works of Maureen McHugh, Melissa Scott, Neal Stephenson, Greg Egan, and Ken MacLeod, Foster measures cyberpunk's reach into social and philosophical movements (the Extropy Institute), commercial art (Hajime Sorayama's gynoids or sexy robot illustrations), comic books (Deathlok), film (Robocop), and music video (from Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album). The central challenge that cyberpunk poses for cultural critics, Foster argues, is to understand what happens when the technological denaturalization of physical embodiment becomes the norm. This question acquires urgency as the focus of his book moves beyond the typical technocultural concerns with gender and sexuality to consider race and models of citizenship - a shift that constitutes one of the book's most original contributions to scholarship on the topic.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

In The Souls of Cyberfolk, Thomas Foster traces the transformation of cyberpunk from a literary movement into a multimedia cultural phenomenon. He examines how cyberpunk defined a framework for thinking about the cultural implications of new technologies - a framework flexible enough to incorporate issues of gender, queer sexualities, and ethnic and racial differences as well as developments in nationalist models of citizenship and global economic flows. Beginning with William Gibson's paradigmatic text Neuromancer, and continuing through the works of Maureen McHugh, Melissa Scott, Neal Stephenson, Greg Egan, and Ken MacLeod, Foster measures cyberpunk's reach into social and philosophical movements (the Extropy Institute), commercial art (Hajime Sorayama's gynoids or sexy robot illustrations), comic books (Deathlok), film (Robocop), and music video (from Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album). The central challenge that cyberpunk poses for cultural critics, Foster argues, is to understand what happens when the technological denaturalization of physical embodiment becomes the norm. This question acquires urgency as the focus of his book moves beyond the typical technocultural concerns with gender and sexuality to consider race and models of citizenship - a shift that constitutes one of the book's most original contributions to scholarship on the topic.

About the Author

Thomas Foster is associate professor of English and director of the Cultural Studies Program at Indiana University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816634068
• ISBN-13: 978-0816634064
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,276,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Studying the Development of Cyberpunk, September 8, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Souls of Cyberfolk: Posthumanism as Vernacular Theory (Electronic Mediations) (Paperback)

This book starts with William Gibson's 1984 novel 'Neuromancer' as being the genesis of Cyberpunk. Mr. Gibson takes some offense at this as there were others before him. In fact you might consider Frankenstein as the start, although to be sure 'cyber' hadn't been invented then. Numerous other science fiction novels have something with computer enhancement to a human, even if it is only with 'smart' prostheses replacing a lost arm.

This book traces the transformation of cyberpunk from a literary movement into a multimedia cultural phenomenon. He traces the development of cyberpunk into comic books (Deathlok), film (Robocop - but how could he have missed Darth Vader?), and into other areas.