WEBLIOGRAPHY (By Jade Stafford)

SOURCE 1

TITLE: Science Fiction and Gender Wars

AUTHOR: RamzPaul

DATE: 14/10/2009

TYPE: BlogSpot

URL: http://www.ramzpaul.com/2009/10/science-fiction-and-gender-wars.html

1) Character

This first source is a blog from a blogspot. The author of this blog focuses on how feminist ideology has changed the direction of science fiction over the last decade and the pro’s and con’s of these changes. This source is basically a review of another article that had recently gone viral, thus all the information gathered came from one source, which questions it credibility. Despite the source’s questionable reliability, it does not present a simplistic view on the topic, but rather presenting deep and thought provoking ideas. Furthermore, being created in 2009, the source is still relevant in contemporary society and the ideas that are being presented are still significant today.

2) Intention and Author/ity

This source is a blog, thus it simply portrays the personal opinions of the author. This means the intention of the source is to express one attitude towards a particular topic rather than presenting facts and research. As a result of this, no scholarly authority is offered in this information. No references, apart from the article that is being discussed, are given so that the arguments and perspectives could be further assessed and verified. However, despite the sources’ lack of scholarly authority, it still presents useful information.

3) Relevance to Research Topic

The material is worth reading as gives a particular viewpoint on the topic being researched, however, it could not be used as the sole or main source of research. With so many blogs online these days, the quality of information out there is becoming more a matter of opinion rather than fact. However, some bloggers do present links and references to sources that support their arguments, which are appropriate for research at a university level.

SOURCE 2

TITLE: The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky

AUTHOR: Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech

DATE: 09/10/2009

TYPE: Online Article

URL: http://www.the-spearhead.com/2009/10/09/the-war-on-science-fiction-and-marvin-minsky/#comment-2382

1) Character

This second source is an online article from the online magazine, The Spearhead. The author of this article focuses on “the war on science fiction” and how feminism has threatened to change, and has changed, the nature of the science fiction genre. This article only engages with the topic on a simplistic level, offering only examples and not providing a deeper insight to the issues. The article is fairly recent, and thus all topics covered are still relevant.

2) Intention and Author/ity

This source is an article, and thus the author is trying to present a certain argument on the topic. This means that, once again, the authors’ intention is to present one side of the argument in a persuasive way. The article is extremely biased. The magazine it was written for was created for “American men, particularly those of the post-boomer generations”. This in itself makes its attitudes towards feminism bleak and given that the ‘name’ of the author is ‘Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech’, it is clear to see that the article too is somewhat biased. However, the source does offer some scholarly authority as it provides references to other sources, but the credibility of these sources is also questionable.

3) Relevance to Research Topic

The article illustrates how feminism has changed the nature of science fiction by using examples from real life, many of which are popular and well known, which makes it appealing and easy to read. This, however, is also its downfall. The article focuses on examples rather than the real issues and themes that need to be researched thoroughly for this essay. With this said, this article is suitable for this type of research essay, but shouldn’t be used as the sole research material.

SOURCE 3

TITLE: Sci-Fi Racial Stereotypes

AUTHOR: BoneRiceFilms

DATE: 25/03/2009

TYPE: Video

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tbiK6cPUU

1) Character

This third source is a youtube video. It basically highlights the subtle racial differentiations in the classic Star Wars films and the television show, Stargate. This video engages with the research topic on very simplistic and basic level, at times even making a mockery of the issues being researched.

2) Intention and Author/ity

This video was made as part of a group presentation on race and gender in popular Science Fiction. The part of the video about Star Wars is supposedly based on an article on the same topic, however a name or any information about this article is not included. This brings into question the credibility of the sources used by the author and thus means this source has no scholarly authority.

3) Relevance to Research Topic

This source is relevant to the research topic, but in no way is a credible source that could be used in a university research assignment of this type.

SOURCE 4

TITLE: (Re)reading Queerly: Science Fiction, Feminism, and the Defamiliarization of Gender

AUTHOR: Veronica Hollinger

DATE: 03/1999

TYPE: Journal Article

URL: http://links.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/stable/4240749?seq=1

1) Character

This article focuses on how gender has been constructed in science fiction works written by women. It deals with the said topic on a deep and complex level, offering a great deal of insight and valid arguments. The article was written in the late 1990’s and thus, the only criticism that could be used against it is whether or not it is slightly out dated.

2) Intention and Author/ity

This source is a journal article, and was therefore created in order to explore a certain issue in as much depth and detail as possible. This article has scholarly authority as it was published in Science Fiction Studies, a scholarly journal devoted to the study of the genre of science fiction based at DePauw University. The reliability of this source is further emphasized by the lengthy list of references at the ends of the article. All these factors indicate that this article is more than reliable as a research material.

3) Relevance to Research Topic

The material in this article is definitely at an appropriate level for the research task and contains information that can be used at a university level. The reliability and usefulness of the information makes this article an essential research material.

SOURCE 5

TITLE: Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I)

AUTHOR: Sarah Zettel

DATE: 31/01/2009

TYPE: Online Article

URL: http://www.bscreview.com/2009/01/race-and-science-fiction-part-i-by-sarah-zettel/

1) Character

This article focuses on “how writers of American speculative fiction should/shouldn’t, do/don’t, can/can’t present people/beings who are not white, American and male.” the article offers to explain the reason why this phenomenon occurs, but as a result fails to deal with the topic on a deeper level.

2) Intention and Author/ity

This source is an online article and was evidently created to express the viewpoint of the author. The article has a small amount of scholarly authority claiming that the author has written 14 novels and numerous short stories. The site then goes on the list the awards she has won and the work that she currently does. However, no references are offered so her arguments can be followed up on, which then questions whether the source in reliable or not and seems as if the site is trying to convince the reader that the author’s article is credible.

3) Relevance to Research Topic

The material in this article is somewhat useful, however, it is no appropriate for this type of research essay. It offers little solid information on the topic and appears to simply be a rant from the author, barely offering reasoning behind the argument.

CONCLUSION

After finding these sources it has become evident that research time and effort could be spent more wisely online rather than consulting conventional print sources because the Internet is constantly being updated. New ideas and opinions come to light everyday online, compared with books which, on a topic like gender roles in science fiction, can become outdated very quickly, especially in our modern, fast-paced society. However, conventional print sources are still extremely useful and essential in research as well.

CITATIONS

Sci-Fi Racial Stereotypes” < http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=q8tbiK6cPUU> 25^th March 2009 [accessed 04/09/2010]

Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech, “The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky” <http://www.the-spearhead.com/2009/10/09/the-war-on-science-fiction-and-marvin-minsky/#comment-2382> 9^th October 2009 [accessed 07/09/2010]

RamZpaul, “Science Fiction and Gender Wars”<http://www.ramzpaul.com/ 2009/ 10/ science-fiction-and-gender-wars.html> 14^th October 2009 [accessed 08/09/2010]

Sarah Zettel, “Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I)” <http://www.bscreview.com/2009/01/race-and-science-fiction-part-i-by-sarah-zettel/> 21^st January 2009 [accessed 08/09/2010]

Veronica Hollinger, “(Re)reading Queerly: Science Fiction, Feminism, and the Defamiliarization of Gender” <http://links.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/ stable/ 4240749?seq=1> March 1999 [accessed 07/09/2010]

‘Why Should Our Bodies End at the Skin?’

In addressing the guiding question, the focus was on trying to find not just critical or theoretical sources, but also sources that offered case studies as to the role and place of skin in our future embodiment. In this regard, the internet provides an invaluable resource as it is a constantly updating environment where new discoveries are constantly being reported and updated. As such, it is possible to find examples as to the possibility of our future embodiment. While physically publishing a text can take some time, publishing onto a website only takes a matter of minutes to make the information available to anyone with internet access.

From Zombies to Cyborg Bodies

The article concerns itself with the rhetoric that Stelarc creates around his art works. For Stelarc, the human body has already become an automaton, acting involuntarily to external stimuli. Stelarc envisages a future shedding of the skin where ‘a body that extrude its awareness and action into other bodies or bits of bodies in other places'. This would enable the possibility of initiating a movement in one location and it manifesting itself elsewhere. Stelarc’s body is open to control. Stimbod enables the body’s movements to be programmed using a touch screen interface. This touch screen becomes itself a skin. The body is to be no longer contained within the skin, but constructed with ‘split physiology, operating with multiple agency.’ For Stelarc, skin is an unnecessary limiting constraint on the body.

Stelarc wrote this source about his own art practice and is largely self-serving. Stelarc is not seeking to explore a thesis relating to the body or cyborgs, but rather just explain his own art practice. As such, there is no referencing to particular sources to give weight to what he is saying. Neme.org, the site hosting the source, is a cultural non-Government organization registered in Cyprus. The source provides a fascinating insight into Stelarc’s practice as well as the possibilities of our future embodiment.

Skinput: Appropriating the Body as an Input Surface

‘Skinput’ was a project to turn the skin into an input surface. Skin is an appealing input device because it is easily accessible by our hands. Skinput works by using a ‘novel array of sensors’ placed in a specially designed armband that picks up the ‘mechanical vibrations that propagate through the body.’ While the source is a scientific research paper, it provides a practical exploration of skin in relation to our future embodiment. The implications that such an input system could have on our embodiment are endless.

Harrison is a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University focusing on novel input methods. The technology that Harrison demonstrates is actualized technology, not mere speculation. This is important as it shows a real and possible trajectory of technology of the body in recreating our own embodiment. Given the evidence provided and Harrison’s authority, the source is reliable.

The Cyborg's Dilemma: Progressive Embodiment in Virtual Environments

Biocca’s article explores the ways in which the interface is becoming more human in both virtual and augmented reality. For Biocca, the body is an information acquisition system composed of sensory devices. As Biocca explains ‘The body is the surface on which all energy fields impinge, on which communication and telecommunication takes form.' While the human body may have these innate sensors, the quest going forward into virtual world is how to embody the perception of various senses within the virtual. Biocca combines critical theory along with scientific research in the field to provide a viable look into embodiment in virtual worlds.

The source is an expanded version of a keynote presentation that Biocca gave at International Cognitive Technology Conference in August, 1997. The source is located on Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication website, which is sponsored by Indiana University. As such, it comes from a reputable, academic source. Further, the article is fully referenced, allowing the reader to further explore ideas raised in the source. The source was published in 1998, and since then technology has progressed significantly (which is evident when Biocca is discussing screen technology). However, despite the technological short-comings, Biocca’s commentary on the development of embodiment within the virtual world is still relevant.

Sensitive Synthetic Skin in the Works for Prosthetic Arms

This source details how researchers are creating an artificial skin that functions and feels like real skin. Sensitive skin is seen as being essential in our future embodiment with technology. Skin is seen as a conglomeration of sensors that interact with the environment. For our own future embodiment, a synthetic skin would enable greater us to move past our present embodiment. Amputees could have limbs replaced that are covered in a synthetic skin that is capable of actively sensing. Following Stelarc’s vision of disembodiment, we could create new bodies to control that mimic our own embodiment – the possibility of multiple embodiments anywhere around the world that we control from one location becomes a possibility.

The source is hosted on IEEE, which claims to be ‘the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology’. The source outlines the advancements made by a collaboration of reputable research associations (NASA, ORNL, NIA) and provides links to other related sources, offering an expanded view of the development of the synthetic skin and its applications. This is useful as it offers further insights into developments of body mapping and prosthesis, which is fundamental to our future embodiment.

The influence of racial embodiment on racial bias in immersive virtual environments

The source presents the findings of a study that examined how racial representations in an ‘immersive virtual environment’ (IVE) affects racial bias. In the physical world, skin plays a central role in identifying race – as it is skin colour that is the primary mode of demarcation. However, in an IVE, people have the ability to design their avatar and choose their skin colour. In many digital environments, people spend large amounts of time viewing and controlling their avatar. This avatar is part of their embodiment, however it is at the same time disembodied. The source maps the psychological implications of racial embodiment in these environments.

While the source is concerned with IVE, the findings could be applied to non-virtual environments in exploring the idea of skin in relation to how we might imagine our future embodiment. Further, the source is a 2009 article by researchers from Stanford University, a reputable source. The source sets out in detail the results of the test and then offers an in-depth discussion. The source has data to back up its ascertains, making it invaluable for exploring the implications of racial embodiment as we are provided with real evidence rather than theoretical hypothesises. While there are shortcomings and gaps in its investigation, the source still provides an interesting investigation of racial embodiment.

Webliography

Question - “if science fiction in a genre that imagines our future, what happens to gender and race?"

Race, Gender & Science Fiction

Webliography

Guiding Question 4
If science fiction is a genre that imagine our future, what happens to gender and race?

· Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film

This source discusses ‘how SF cinema, in imagining new worlds and addressing a broad range of social topics, has confronted and retreated from the colour line, one of the most troubling and turbulent social issues present in American society'1. It applies to the guiding question as it is structured to talk about how race in cinematic science fiction can move from absence to tokenism, and also how it is the ‘ultimate signifier of difference, alienness and “otherness"'2. In this way it could be used to illustrate how race in the future, based on what science fiction imagines our future to be, will be much the same as it is now considering it reflects the social issues of today. Issues I can see arising from the book however, is the fact that she only talks of race as ‘black people’ and does not take into account those of other races and how they are portrayed in science fiction cinema. Due to this, race in the future cannot be fully assessed considering not all race is discussed but it is an otherwise useful discussion for the question.

· Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy

This book is a series of articles written by different authors, all discussing the idea of females in the science fiction (and fantasy) genre. The introduction briefly touches on how females are portrayed, stating ‘these later series also relied on the containment features of sexual objectification, white dominance, heteronormativity and obedience to white male authority'3. A later chapter, written by Robin Roberts titled ‘Science, Race and Gender in Star Trek: Voyager’ talks about both race and gender, stating that ‘this series emphasises how racial differences affect females and how the race and gender of the scientist affect the practice of science'4. So in this respect, this chapter is especially helpful in discussing race and gender in regards to science fiction, as the author wants the reader to be aware of the ‘triangulation of gender, race, and science'.5 This chapter is useful for discussion of the guiding question, however the rest of the book deals with vast amounts of fantasy, rather than science fiction. However, Chapter 11 (No Ramps In Space) gives an interesting look into disabilities in science fiction cinema, and this could give a new perspective for the guiding question.

· Decoding Gender in Science Fiction

This book also discusses gender in science fiction in regards to females, with the idea that science fiction creates ‘a superhuman femme fatal, the object of equal parts fear and fascination'6. He implies that women in science fiction are created as objects of desire, and thus this gives them power, however, not as much power as men have in both science fiction literature and cinema. Men will also be the ones who give the final orders, have the big roles and who have control while women play smaller roles, being the one who is the seducer of the in control males. Issues I’ve had with this source are that it can be quite dense in some respects and to get some solid points and quotes, you must sift through a bit of irrelevant material.

· Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality

This book is also an insight into gender and race in science fiction cinema, looking at how ‘the degree of power assigned to a central female character was usually matched by the identifiably horrific nature of the alien menace'7. The advantage of this source is that it discusses race in terms of a non-human race (aliens) rather than a type of human race, specifically in Chapter 6 (Alien Others: Race and the Science Fiction Film). She states that ‘…the alien, monster or robot of science fiction may provide an example of Otherness, against which a representation of “proper” human subjectivity is established…'8 making the distinction between the “normal” human race as opposed to foreign “objects” from different worlds. This source could be used to illustrate how if science fiction films such as War of the Worlds are a look into our future, the concept of race (in completely foreign terms) is one to be feared, and as a consequence, fought. This source can also be used in terms of gender, with two chapters being devoted to the masculine (Chapter 4: The Masculine Subject of Science Fiction in the 1980’s) and femininity (Chapter 5: Gender Blending and the Feminist Subject).

· Moving Science: Science, Gender and Science Fiction

This is an online article, which has an interesting discussion of females in science fiction, as robots. It pays particular attention to the female body and how it is created, drawing on examples from Metropolis and The X Files. Her analysis of Metropolis looks into how when a female robot is turned into flesh, she is made into an object of desire, or a male fantasy. The robot is one to be feared and Lammes points out how ‘the creator of all this trouble is male'9 due to him wanting to create a perfect woman, one who fulfils what his ideal woman would be. Although this film is from the 1920’s, it can still give us an insight into how women are perceived in science fiction films – even as robots/cyborgs, they are still objects of desire and because of it, the female gender is downplayed and still inferior to the male species. This source is helpful to the question when looking at gender in science fiction however much of the article is dedicated to other areas of interest, but all in all could be useful.

---

1 Nama, Adilifu, Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film, University of Texas Press, 2008, p4

2 Ibid, p7

3 Helford, Elyce Rae, Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Rowman & Littleford, 2000, pp 3-4

4 Ibid, p 203

5Ibid, p204

6 Attebery, Brian, Decoding Gender in Science Fiction, Routledge, 2002, p205

7 Cornea, Christine, Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality, Edinburgh University Press, 2007, p50

8 Ibid, p176

9 Lammes, Sybille, Moving Science: Science, Gender and Science Fiction, The European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, 1997, 7/9/2010, http://www.easst.net/review/march1997/lammes

Webliography

4. If science fiction is a genre that imagines our future, what happens to gender and race?
Kate Lowe


Sarah Zettel's article, Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I) is a commentary on the ongoing debate regarding science fiction writers and their depiction of race in their fiction. It is suitable for the research being undertaken because it gives an overview of how the science fiction genre has evolved in the US. This would be useful in the research project in explaining how future representations of race in science fiction have been moulded by the context of the writers themselves. The article was written in 2009 and published in an online review/commentary site called BSC Review. The author is well established and has won awards for her writing. The material is a good online source, because the discussion forum below the article is a great source of additional debate from selected guests of BSC Review on the contents of the article, where the author clarifies her intent. There are no references stated which makes the source a little less reliable.

Sherryl Vint's article, Both/And: Science Fiction and the Question of Changing Gender discusses the use of science fiction by cultural theorists of gender in the development of discourses of gender. She discusses how gender in the future and thus in science fiction will become something of ideological significance as opposed to biological significance. She uses examples from several science fiction sources, one of which involved a character who switched amongst gender roles, experiencing each with confusion and self-discovery. The novel explores the social construction of male and female genders,“In Delany's representation, being a woman is the result of a long process of socialisation, the specific contours of which will be determined by the ideological elements influencing this design”. The article is thoroughly referenced, and is published in a weekly online magazine called “Strange Horizons”. The magazine is based on speculative fiction and seems to be thoroughly edited by established authors.

A news article entitled Human race will 'split into two different species' by Niall Frith, published in Mail Online, an online version of the Science and Technology section of the Mail newspaper would be useful in the research project, because it compares current evolutional science theories to ideas expressed in Science Fiction of the past. Frith says that scientists have theorised that one day the human race will split into two groups. These groups being attractive intelligent type, and the dim-witted, goblin-like type. Genders physical features will be driven by indicators of health, youth, and vitality. Technological advances will breed a homogenous appearance. There will be no difference in race, but there will be a single, coffee coloured skin tone. He compares these ideas to the race construction in HG Wells, The Time Machine, between the Eloi and Morlock races. The source is a well intentioned expression of scientific theories, edited and published in an online newspaper. While of course this is ridden with inconsistencies and easily critiqued, the comparison of the scientific theories for the future, and an authors imagined future is very intriguing. A link could be examined between this and Vint's article, over the ideological framework of race or gender, rather than purely biological perspective. An author conceptualised the ideological framework needed for that race relationship to develop, as did a scientist from a more biological perspective.

Sybille Lammes' article entitled Moving Science: Science, Gender and Science Fiction, like Vint's article, articulates the discourses surrounding gender and science fiction. She in particular focuses on the way the female body is represented in various texts. She discusses some of Donna Haraway's theories considering that science and fiction not be seen as two separate spheres, but as part of a continuum of cultural expressions. In this way Lammes' article can be linked to Frith, in that Science itself can be seen as linked intrinsically with science fiction. The article was published in a website run by the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST). EASST is a scholarly association that intends to pursue cultural, political, literary and scientific study of science and cultural advancement. In this way it is an appropriate and reliable online source. It is adequately referenced, and is relevant to the research project. The level of analysis is suitable for university level.

Vanessa E. Jones wrote for The Boston Globe newspaper an article entitled Race, the final frontier: Black science-fiction writers bring a unique perspective to the genre. The article was interesting as it examined again the depiction of race in science fiction based entirely on the writings of white authors. The article describes the black science fiction community as “tiny”. The unrepresentative nature of the authorship is perhaps what has lead to such a lopsided representation of race in the future. Like Vint's article, Jones discusses Delany and his essay on racism in science fiction. It is a relevant source because it would help to comprehend the race constructions in the texts and the context and authorship within which the genre was written. It is an article from an established newspaper so it can be said to be a reliable source. It is useful as an online source as it is more easily accessed than its print counterpart, and requires less sifting of information to locate.

As a general finding, reliable sources online seem to be few and far between. There are a lot of books available for viewing on Google Books, but this only leads to the conclusion that perhaps the internet has not yet caught up to conventional print sources as a resource for research projects. In regards to the authenticity of the sources, it could be argued that even print sources are interpretations of information, so online essays and reviews are equally adequate. The online magazines and newspapers were the type of sources that were generally most effective as online sources. Most of the information was not readily available, as most scholarly journals require a subscription. The sources located were appropriate as online sources, generally well referenced and from established authors.

Webliography for the ages.

Webliography

Question 1: ‘Why should our bodies end at the skin?” asks Donna Haraway. Discuss the idea of skin in relation to how we imagine our future embodiment.

 1. Miah, A. & Rich, E. 2008, The Medicaliasation of Cyberspace, Routledge, New York. 

This book, found on google.books.com takes a slightly different look at cyberspace by focusing on the process of it’s medicalisation, or as Miah and Rich put it, the process of cybermedicalisation (p 26). Medicalisation is a process that allows an institutionalised and scientific view of something and it can be found with a number of things, including child rearing and dreaming, both were and are being more medicalised but this book was the first I have ever heard of the process being applied to technology such a cyber space. They also provide several case studies in order to back up their argument that bodies have always been a part of the Internet, which is similar to Almond’s claim that bodies are always present (Almond 2010). They also claim that the assumption that bodies are absent on cyberspace are incorrect and if our bodies really do go beyond our skin the way Haraway claims, the place for that to take place would be online. However the book also looks at the body through other forms of media including television. This book shows the body as something not always in physical form and how people are taking leaps towards recognising that the body has presence in cyberspace. It’s impressively different.

 

2. Jones, D.E, n.d.  I, Avatar: Constructions of Self and Place in Second Life 

and the Technological Imagination, gnovis.

This work focuses on the idea of the constructed body. Based on the MMORPG, (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) Second Life by Linden Lab it looks at how people act and interact in a world where they have complete control over their bodies. Jones mentions the construction of spaces in the real world and the virtual world, which is has importance in the discuss of Harraway’s question of skin since what is the ‘real’ world and what is not depends a lot on each are interpreted. It is easier to believe that the skin is not the end of the body if constructed virtual worlds are also seen as real in some sense.  How bodies are placed within the cyber world is explored in the article since people are giving the ability to change anything they want about themselves, so they wield a lot more power. The thing is, these virtual realties are growing in popularity all the time even to the point where it has become the social norm to be somewhere in cyberspace. As it grows in popularity I think the amount of research will also increase and this article will still hold it’s ground.

 

3. Miah, A. 2008, Human Futures: art in the age of uncertainty, Liverpool University Press,

Another source from google.books and by the author Andy Miah. Miah has done a lot of work the field of human studies in relation to cyberspace and technology and this book is a good example of where people are predicting our lives to take us. Unlike the other sources this book looks more at the advances in biological sciences, such as cloning and even advances in plastic surgery. Biological science is an interesting an interesting factor to think about, since any artificial limb, skin graft or organ are part of technological advancement and are often used in arguments about what really constitutes the ‘body’ or a ‘real human’. So it would be a good source to use since not only does it look at the body, and the skin, it goes further to predict further medical advancement and how it will affect not only humans socially but also in art. Since art is a reflection of society it will be interesting to see what develops in the future, and this book provides an interesting insight. Whatever form of media used, in art or technology, provides an extension of the “self”, whether it’s the telephone or a painting. This is due to the presence felt through media and creates another form of human not bound by the skin.

 

4. Almond. P, 2010, Taking the Virtual out of Virtual Reality, 17 March 2005, Paul-Almond Blog. 

This article is rather interesting since it is looks at the different levels of reality and how they interact. Since I have been focusing more on virtual reality in order to illustrate how people in some way do not end at their skin, it is important to show the significance of virtual realities. Almond argues that in fact, virtual reality is just reality and that humans exist in a world overlayed with realties. So in a way we are always part of virtual reality. He uses the example of Second Life again, which is a logical, since it is a completely virtual world where people can control the environment as well as their own avatar; it was invented purely for person-to-person interaction and is meant to be a mirror image of the real world. This source would critical since it demonstrates how much our lives have been penetrated by technology, even to the point where it has created another reality on top of our own. And if you follow the claim that virtual reality is reality then the avatars we create in that world must be extensions of our body, and our skin. Almond has a number of interesting articles on his blog, however, the fact that it is a blog and not a published website does ruin some of it’s credibility. Luckily, he uses a lot sources and shows that he has critically thought about his argument.

 

5. Suler. J, 2010, The Psychology of Avatars and Graphical Spaces eNotAlone.com

Since this research has taken a virtual reality turn, it is important to contemplate the skin of virtual reality, which are the avatars people use to represent them. John Suler’s website has three articles dedicated entirely to understanding avatars and the psychological processes behind them, however I will focus on the first article. He uses the example of Main Mansion Palace by the company Electronic Communities, which only shows the face of the avatar know affectionately as smileys (Suler 2010) and is mostly conversational based, but not entirely text based. While the system Suler talks about is not as sophisticated as Second Life, he still raises many good points about how people interact and make assumptions about people though their avatars. I would have to look further into the Main Mansion Palace in order to really understand the roles of avatars in it, but the article is still relevant.

I would have had this up yesterday, but I came down with a fever. 

 

Webliography

Annotated Webliography
Question: Haraway’s Manifesto is a political text generated from social feminism of the 1980s. In what ways have feminists taken up her radical ideas since then?

Donna Haraway: Live Theory by Joseph Schneider

This book critiques, in detail, Haraway’s Manifesto and outlines her views and ideas about feminism, providing many direct quotes and phrases direct from her work. Haraway insinuates that women should stop associating themselves with other oppressed groups and individuals in attempt to move forward. Haraway argues against ecofeminism, the linking of humans and nature, environmentalism and feminism.

Haraway also argues against identifying too much with other oppressed women “there is nothing about being “female” that naturally binds women together”. She discusses how women have typically been restricted in terms of technology, as it is a male created domain. However Haraway stresses “Women need modems” encouraging women to embrace technology and the liberation that it encompasses.

Haraway’s cyborg allows us to hope for a world without gender, where we have an ability to construct our identity online and reconstruct our identity in real terms. Therefore, we can consider that if we are all constructed beings, surely our “natural” duties such as child bearing, mothering tendencies, natural weakness, are all figments of cultural socialisation, not actually of true identity? And if this is the case, then we should be able to reconstruct ourselves, as cyborgs, and in effect, choose our identities, rendering gender redundant. A gender free world?

Cyborg and ecofeminist interventions: challenges for an environmental feminism by Stacy Alaimo

This article primarily expands on Haraway’s aversion to ecofeminism in her Manifesto, as briefly mentioned in the previous source. Alaimo defines ecofeminism as a branch of feminism “seeking to strengthen the bonds between women and nature by critiquing their parallel oppressions and encouraging an ethic of caring and a politics of solidarity”. The article then establishes that Haraway’s Manifesto seeks to deconstruct the “dualism” or nature and feminism, and negates the tendency to view nature and feminism as similar entities under the same oppressive regime.

This articles’ value lies in the way Alaimo eloquently describes the way Haraway believes identity should be constructed. In attempting to remove ourselves from gender constraints (i.e. recognising ourselves as cyborgs) why would we maintain a connection with another oppressed identity? Haraway believes that we should take a pro-active approach in defining ourselves, an identity outside the constraints of sex, gender, nature and all that these encompass...be our own person in the fight against our oppressors. Haraway’s appeal is that we should be less interested in forming alliances with other females, and should instead focus on our own individuality and our own rebellion against the forces.

Rethinking Ecofeminist Policies by Janet Biehl

Shortly after Haraway’s Manifesto a series of books and articles were written critiquing ecofeminism in a similar way to Haraway. A feminist named Janet Biehl wrote one such book on ecofeminism following Haraway in 1991. Biehl argues that ecofeminism is a “woman-nature identification is a male ideology and a tool of oppression which must in itself be overcome”. This supports Haraway’s distaste for ecofeminism, as she and Biehl both believe that associating women with nature’s limitations subjects women to the same limitations, repressions that women have successfully fought against in some cases but nature are yet to overcome. Therefore, by associating the two together, women invalidate their social conquests. “It [ecofeminism] does not bode well for women-especially those who regard themselves as more than creatures of their sexuality-to follow this regressive path”

The same applies for Haraway’s argument of women’s quest to be “gender-neutral”. Identifying with nature is in effect identifying with “Mother nature”. This ideology of “natural” motherhood and consequentially identification with such is what Haraway pledges must be avoided. This book presents two examples where Haraway’s work has been taken up by subsequent feminists, building on her idea of straying away from the constraints of gender through a disassociation with nature.

Feminist Theories of Technology by Judy Wajcman

In 2008, a feminist called Judy Wajcman wrote a journal article that discussed women’s altered relationship with technology. Wajcman writes of the liberation technology offers women “the internet spells the end of the embodied basis for sex differences”. Wajcman also discusses how approaches to technology have changed “If feminists of the 1980s were rather pessimistic about the prospects for women offered by the microelectronic revolution, there was a much more enthusiastic response to the dawn of the digital age”.

Wajcman stipulates that Haraway’s controversial Manifesto which portrayed technology as empowering for women, sparked a new idea that technology could possibly transform gender relations, changing the fundamental relations in society “Haraway’s ground breaking work opened up new possibilities for feminist analyses to explore the ways in which women’s lives are intimately entwined with technologies”.

This article shows the ways contemporary feminists have adopted Haraway’s views. That is that technology is not particular to men, it is cathartic as it allows women to assume alternative identities, defying the controls of gender. This leads on to the point of the integration of human and technology, the recognition of the cyborg defined by Haraway, as instigating a world where gender is fluid and regressive, and therefore of little significance?

Women, Sex and the Internet by Sandra Risa Leiblum

The burgeoning phenomenon of the internet and women’s ever increasing interaction with such is discussed in this article by Sandra Risa Leiblum. Leiblum explains that the contemporary woman is embracing technology in a modern age “women are going online in ever-increasing numbers and finding much to entertain, educate and enlighten them”.

This article, in part, deals with the way women construct their identities online, with particular reference to their sexual identities “chat rooms are a way [for women] to try on different sexual persona and explore unrealised aspects of their sexuality”. This supports Haraway’s appeal of technology deconstructing the concept of identity. For women who have led real lives of sexual conservatism and traditionalism, the internet provides them with the opportunity to reconstruct themselves as sexual beings, an identity through which they can explored their sexuality in a virtual realm.

The medium of the internet leaves much to the imagination. “A woman’s physical attributes do not determine her initial impression”. This is liberating in itself as a woman can escape societal judgment standards, where you are validated on your appearance, and convey her worth through the power of her words alone. This collaborates with Haraway’s idea that embracing the integration of oneself and technology, cyberfeminism, leads to the freedom to explore oneself and who one can potentially be, thorough an identity of an individual, not a gendered being.

References

1. Schneider, J, 2005, Donna Haraway: Live Theory, MPG Books Ltd, Cornwall
2. Alaimo, S, 1994, Feminist Studies, 5-9-2010, [http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=95162816]
3. Biehl, J, 1991, Rethinking Ecofeminist Politics, South End Press, Boston
4. Wajcman, J, 2008, ‘Feminist theories of technology’, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Vol. 34, No. 1, p.p. 143-152
5. Leiblum, SR, 2001, ‘Women, sex and the Internet’, Sexual and Relationship Therapy, Vol. 16, No. 4, p.p. 2-18