Introductions

Hi everybody! I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Milan Bicocca, Department of Education. I received an international PhD in Italian Literature (University of Florence, University of Cambridge), with a dissertation on aspects of myth in the work of the Holocaust survivor-writer and scientist Primo Levi. My first encounter with the term posthumanism has been reading a book during my PhD (“Primo Levi’s Narratives of Embodiment: Containing the Human”), then I subscribed to the newsletter of the Society for the Study of Literature, Science and the Arts, whose participants are very much interested in this topic. And now I… Read more »

Hello my name is Honey Biba Beckerlee. I am a visual artist, holding an MFA from The Royal Academy of Fine Art, Copenhagen (2001-08) and an MA in Contemporary Art Theory, from Goldsmiths College, University of London (2005-06). My interest in posthumanism started at Goldsmiths College, where I got aquainted with Donna Haraway’s Companion Species Manifesto, Giorgio Agamaben’s The Open and Deleuze & Guattari’s Becoming Animal. My work revolves around how images may challenge paradigms such as originality, objectivity, individualism and anthropocentrism. You can see my work here: http://www.honeybeckerlee.net/

Hi everyone, I’m Rosemary, a media artist with a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from the European Graduate School. I’ve been exploring posthuman aesthetics through my artistic research looking at plant perception and I also took part in the conference Aesthetics, Ethics and Biopolitics of the Posthuman at Århus University last year.

Hi,
Im a bit late with the introduction- im currently in self imposed seclusion working on my master thesis and am limiting my internet time. However, although I wont be completing assignments here I am very happy to be part of the course as The Posthuman informs all of my research. Im primarily interested in the human/thing relationship and vital materialism (Jane Bennett). That interest propels me to look at literary work from C18 objects narratives to Primo LevisThe Periodic Table`(most notably at Carbon) to work published at http://objectsobjectsobjects.com/. Im an English Studies student at FU Berlin.

Hallo! I am Lara Eva Sochor. I am an Art Historian and recently finished my Master of Arts at the University of Stuttgart. I got interested in Posthumanism – and subsequently Transhumanism – after watching a lecture by Rosi Braidotti on youtube. As the human condition has always played a big role in art and therefore of course art history I became interested in writing my dissertation on the topic of art and the posthuman condition. As the topic however was not touched upon during my years studying art history and anglistics I have a lot of catching up to… Read more »

Hey out there, My name is Johanna and I am a PhD candidate at Leipzig University/University of Cambridge. My dissertation focuses on the reception of Antarctica in contemporary British literature. This rather broad field of research (it entails ecocriticism, nature vs. human, climate change, impact of humans on their surroundings, etc.) has made be interested in the posthumans/transhumans. I’m looking forward to the course!

Hey folks! I’m Mads Søndergaard, currently taking my Masters degree in Cognitive Semiotics, with a Bachelors degree in Japanese Area-studies. As my current field might indicate, I’m very much fascinated by the human condition; the building blocks of how we interact and interpret our surroundings, what neurological factors play into this, and my personal point of main interest, the nature of consciousness. Where humanity is taking itself has always been an interesting notion to explore, I think. Not only because they offer interesting narratives and visually stunning art, but because it is becoming an increasingly more likely outcome for humanity;… Read more »

Hello to everyone! I am PhD candidate at University of Kragujevac, at Faculty of Philology and Arts. I became highly interested in theories of Posthumanism after reading Rosi Braidotti’s last book, “The Posthuman”, and I discovered her after doing my thesis research on Gilles Deleuze. Now my PhD thesis is focused on the development of the posthuman identity, as it is represented in the novels of contemporary spanish writer Juan Goytisolo. That is how I discovered the project conveyed at Aarhus university, and the related publication of the project coordinators and investigators… and that is how I discovered this online… Read more »

Hello, my name is Frederik Mølgaard and I’m currently studying Digital Design at Aarhus University. At present time I’m on the 5th semester, which means I’m also in the midst of writing my bachelors project. I think my primary motivation for attending this course is because I have always had a great interest in philosophy and technology, which in connection to what I’m currently studying seems naturally related, both in relation the conception of the posthuman from a philosophical perspective, and to aesthetics. When I think of name-dropping an artist and/or a philosopher, maybe Ryoji Ikeda (Artist) and Martin Heidegger… Read more »

Hi everyone!
My name is Kasper Bisgaard. I am currently finishing my Bachelors degree in Dramaturgy and Digital Design. I got interested in Posthumanism and Transhumanism whilst doing research for a performance project. I discovered this course by chance and thought I wanted to expand my knowledge on the area. I am very much looking forward to learning more and working with you.

Hi all – I’m Eline Tabak and I recently finished my Master’s in Comparative Literary Studies at Utrecht University, specialising in ecocriticism. I’ve been interested in posthumanism ever since reading Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway. Looking forward to the course!

Hey! My name is Asker Bryld Staunæs. I study the ‘History of Ideas’ at Aarhus University, engraving myself in a broad area of subjects such as philosophical aesthetics, historical epistemology, archival theory, the status of the humanities and medieval thought. I was introduced to the posthuman condition by contemporary queer/new materialist thinkers such as Donna Haraway, Karen Barad and Rosi Braidotti, but soon discovered that I had probably already caught the posthuman infliction in the 16th century by attending the university of lust founded by the giants Gargantua and Pantagruel. I’m excited to be in a course that can stretch… Read more »

hi all, my name is Matt Bray, i am an artist and curator, recently finished my MA in fine art at university of kent, was accepted for phd but had to postpone it for health reasons. ive read a few books on the subject of posthumanism but am just getting started, enjoyed the lecture online by Rosi Braidotti. looking forward to the course here.

Hi everyone! My name is Amalia. I am a master student Modern Dutch Literature in Leiden University. I am interested in study posthumanism and I am now working on my paper about posthumanism in Dutch children literature. I hope I can get new insight about this study from this online course!

Hi! I´m Desiree Förster, PhD student at Potsdam University. I´m interested in ways to develop an environmental agency through physically experiencing the interrelations with nonhuman species, biotic and abiotic elements…My background is in philosophy and mediaculture and for my PhD I join forces with neuroscience and design. Look forward to this online course and the exchange alongside/following it!

Hello! My name is Cathrine, and I’m currently working on my master thesis in Art History at University of Copenhagen. I first got interested in the Posthuman when I attended af lecture by Katherine Hales last spring. Last semester I worked with digital mediation in museums, artificial intelligence and robo-aesthetics, and this semester I’m continuing along this line by working with the idea of the cyborg in contemporary art.

Hi, my name is Rosangela. I earned a Ph.D. in bioethics from the University of Genova, Italy. I am interested in ethical issues dealing with emerging technologies. I published several papers on bioethical topics, mostly in Italian, and I am intrigued by this course.

Hi Everyone! My name is Katie Guinnane. I am currently in my final year of my PhD at Trinity College Dublin. My PhD is attempting to reconfigure the German cultural and educational theory Bildung into a Braidottian inspired posthumanist Bildung. I have quite a eclectic background with an undergraduate degree in Human Anatomy, a Masters degree in Film Studies and Culture and a postgraduate diploma in Science education. I first came into contact with the concept of Posthumanism when I heard Braidotti speak at a biopower conference in Trinity College. Subsequently, I have been lucky enough to be a student… Read more »

Hey, I’m Sine and I’m studying Information Studies and Computer Science at Aarhus University. I’m on my 5th semester, so at the moment I’m in the midst of my bachelor project in computer supported cooperative work. Unlike most of you guys, I know little or nothing about Posthumanism. Though, when I read the course description I was intrigued by the possibility of getting a new, quite different, point of view on the field of technology and human computer interaction. I think there are aspects to how information technology affects our culture that aren’t covered in most IT related fields. I’m… Read more »

Hey! My name is Katrine Winther and i’m currently at my 5th semester in Aesthetics & Culture at Aarhus Universitet. Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway was my way into the fascinating world that I think theories of Posthumanism is. What especially intrigued me was how the idea of the cyborg leads towards a new process ontology. I have a huge interest in philosophy and therefore I think this course is a great opportunity to work with both historical and contemporary thinkers within the same work sphere. So far I have mostly worked with the perspective of posthumanity in literature. Now… Read more »

Hi all, I am Jennifer Charteris a Senior Lecturer of Pedagogy with the University of New England School of Education in Australia. I like to research the politics of teacher and student learning, identity and subject formation. Deleuze and Braidotti have informed quite a bit of my work to date with Critical and poststructural theories influencing my thinking. However I am extremely interested in what posthumanism can produce in Education assemblages. I am looking forward to learning more in this space. Thanks for the opportunity. It is a pleasure to be here with you all.

Hello from ‘down under’, My name is Felicity and I am a lecturer at Western Sydney University. My interest in post humanism began with the works of Braidotti, Haraway and (a little more distant) Bruno Latour, Michel Serres and Co. My interest in aesthetics hails from my work on design, culture and tourism. I have a passion for rethinking human/-nature relations and am particularly interested in our emerging relations with ‘the blue planet’. Looking forward to the course – if not so much the challenges of time management!

Hi there. I’m doing my PhD in philosophy at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. I have been teaching Western philosophy courses at Thai universities for some time, and finally decided to personally re-engage with philosophy after finishing my MA more than twenty years ago. The department here is very analytically oriented, as was my original training, and I am therefore interested in aspects of posthumanism as offering a broader perspective. My area of research is animal ethics, and I am still in the process of finalising my topic.

Hi there! My name is Sinem. I’m taking my Master’s degree in British literature at METU, Turkey. I have enrolled in the remaining Master’s classses and also working on my thesis, which is on fantasy literature and J.R.R. Tolkien. I am also interested in cultural studies and love integrating them with literature. I have joined this online platform thanks one of my professors’ advice. I am looking forward to gaining a deeper insight into posthumanism and its echo in realms of life.

Hello everybody! I am a PhD candidate from Università “Ca’ Foscari” di Venezia, Italy. My thesis is about landscapes representations in contemporary Italian literature, also from an ecocritical perspective. Karin Andersen theriomorphic works made my first encounter with posthumanism, which I have been studying by reading Serenella Iovino, Roberto Marchesini and Rosi Braidotti.
I am willing lo learn a lot more!
Maria Pia

Hello there. I am Cecilie Nemeth, and I currently study The Philosophy of Pedagogy in Denmark, Aarhus as my Masters. I was introduced to this, as a Talent Course at the University and found Post-human aesthetics a natural subject in extension to my interest in the educational aspects of philosophy, and the subsequent dilemmas that the world is already meeting today, and will meet in the future. Other than my general interest in the ethical dilemmas in posthumanism, I wrote my Bachelor’s thesis on the gender-equality in social education, and I have a curiosity left unsated within the field of… Read more »

Hello everyone. I’m Maria O’Connell. I’m an assistant professor of English at a small liberal-arts college in Texas, U.S. I’m excited to join this class. My dissertation, which was on the novels of Cormac McCarthy, used a social systems, posthuman analysis to read and understand the portrayal of masculinity in the texts. I’ve been interested in the posthuman since I first heard a lecture by Cary Wolfe at Texas Tech in 2011. My interest was further sparked by Bruce Clarke, who was on my dissertation community. I have attended at least two conferences where Donna Haraway was a plenary speaker.… Read more »

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Lara and I received an MSc in Cultural Geography from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. I wrote my thesis on the gardens of Alcatraz (San Francisco), which resulted in a more refined interest in the multispecies approach and urban political ecology.

Hello, I’m currently studying Japanese, although, I’m taking my bachelor’s degree in comparative literature. My interest in posthuman aesthetics is an old flirt, dating back to Terminator 2. I got interested in the subject academically through a seminar with Linda Henderson on the subject of plasticity and continuity in Duchamp and Boccioni. Since then my interest in it has been lying dormant, however, I’ve been dealing with the subject indirectly reading Deleuze and the postmodern author John Barth. But now I’m looking forward to digging into the depth of the ‘new’ human condition.

Hey everyone! My name is Simone Mouritsen and I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Digital Design at Aarhus University. Taking this course gives me an opportunity to examine and reflect on topics that have been a personal interest of mine for several years. For instance I am particularly interested in how pop culture depicts the posthuman in science fiction and its sub genres such as cyberpunk. I also find it fascinating how the ethical dilemmas are presented differently in western pieces compared to those that originate from Japan, for example. Looking forward to get even more insight into… Read more »

Hello! I teach a freshman course at Stanford University called “Animal Planet and the Romance of the Species.” I’m taking this course because I would like to parlay my interest in animal studies into a broader understanding of the posthumanist movement and perhaps eventually develop a more advanced course on the subject. I look forward to the readings and discussions.

Hello everyone. I’m Aksay, and reading everyone Hellos , I need to acknowledge that I am a graduate in Law and I guess you all might be helpful and interactive during this course.

Hi everyone. My name is Felix Kühn Paulsen. I have a master of arts degree in art history and nordic language and literature fom Aarhus University. I am currently working on a phd. application – the project is about the new danish comics and their tendency to work with their materiality and mediality. It is through my readings on materiality that I have become interested in the posthuman.

Hi everybody! I’m studying Philosophy at Aarhus University. I’m quiet new to the study since I’m on the 3rd semester, but you could say, that I’m an experienced student in the sense of life-experience since I’m 58 years old. I studied electronic engineering back in the 80s and during the last many years I have taken different managing positions. Right now I’m focusing om Philosophy of Science and Metaphysics. I think our societies have made tremendous developments during the last decades in giving man new possibilities for making a good life. Anyway it’s not recognized as successful to all -and… Read more »

Hi there! My name’s Carole Guesse and I’m a PhD candidate at the University of Liège, Belgium. My thesis is dedicated to the literary posthuman. I’m therefore particularly interested in theories of posthumanism and the posthuman, the non-human, the inhumane, but also in science fiction and literary theory and genres in general. I first came across the posthuman when I was completing my Master’s thesis on Never Let Me Go by K.Ishiguro and The Possibility of an Island by M.Houellebecq. I attended the 2015 Posthuman Aesthetics conference, which was already a great place to compare and confront the various understandings… Read more »

Hello, everyone! I am a Ph.D student at Yonsei University, School of Communication and Arts in Seoul, South Korea. I am also a multi-media artist. I originally had a background in digital and electronic art practice but since I attended Society of Literature, Science, and Art conference which was held in Dallas, TX in 2014, I slowly developed my interest in Posthumanism, animal studies, visual culture studies about nature, and so on. I am very new to this and I look forward to learn as much as I can from this opportunity. Nice to meet you all!

Hi Everyone, my name is Hannah Ackermans. I recently graduated my MA Comparative Literary Studies at Utrecht University (the Netherlands). I specialized in the field of electronic literature during my exchange semester at Bergen University and wrote my thesis on computer-generated literature. I decided to join the course because I have not interacted with posthumanism on a deeper level and I think posthuman aesthetics might be a valuable framework for electronic literature.

Hello everyone! My name is Valerie and I am a MSc student at Copenhagen Business School. In my undergraduate studies, I studied a BA in Culture and Economy (with an emphasis on English Literature and Culture) at the University of Mannheim, where I wrote my thesis on posthumanist narratives in science fiction film. Initially, it all started out with my interest in H.P. Lovecraft, teratology and “the human”, but after reading a few texts by Cary Wolfe, Donna Haraway and Jean-François Lyotard, and after seeing Ex Machina, I quickly realized that I was very keen on further gaining insight and… Read more »

Hallo everyone, my Name is Kim Haagen Mathiesen. I’m currently taking my masters at Aarhus University in IT in Education. Post-humanism is intriguing to me and i’m looking forward to learn more about the field. The field of Education is transforming and the idea of technology extending human possibilities, transforming what it means to be human and what education is, is of particular interest for me. Looking forward to learn more.

Hi, everyone! My name is Marinela Freitas and I’m a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Porto, at the Institute for Comparative Literature Margarida Losa, where I also teach Feminist Studies and Queer Theory. I’m particularly interested in new forms of subjectivity that may result from a post-anthropocentric and posthumanist paradigm, as well as the politics of language and representation used to address “human” and “posthuman” categories (particularly regarding cultural, social, sexual, and political processes of inclusion/exclusion). So I’m really happy to be taking this course and to find a community of people with shared (posthuman) interests. It is really… Read more »

Hello everyone. My name is Laura Benítez, I have finished my PhD in Philosophy, on Bioart (Aesthetics Area) and during the last year I have doing research on “Biological art”, Biohacking practices, Monistic Ontology and Posthuman(s) theory(s). My research is focused on disturbances, contestational practices and theories, where Ethics, Identity, Gender, Subjectivity or Politics, are understood as not pre-determined but always changing and unfolding. Considering that critical thinking_action helps to reveal, or at list to remember, the artificial boundaries that we forgot we invented it. I’m interested in nomadic subjectivites in a post-anthropocentric shift and how Aesthetics can disrupt some… Read more »

Hey there! My name is Florian Auerochs and I recently recieved my master’s degree in Literature and Media Studies from the University of Bamberg, Germany. In my master thesis on “Equine naturecultures in Literature, Film and Photography” (human-horse-relationships in art) I discussed not only central concepts and ideas of Human-Animal-Studies, but also the emerging field of New Materialism/The Nonhuman Turn, which offers highly developed variations of posthumanist thinking. Absorbed from the creative power of the non-/para-/posthuman in critical theory, arts and literature, I am now a doctoral student at the University of Vechta, where I proceed to comparative literature. My… Read more »

Hi, all! I’m a Ph.D. candidate in the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media program at North Carolina State University. The work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari got me interested in posthuman ideas. My dissertation is exploring and developing the concepts of information and big data from a feminist, posthuman perspective, and I’m working with Rosi Braidotti and N. Katherine Hayles as part of my committee. Increasingly my work has been engaging with the importance of aesthetics, and specifically approaching life experimentally as a work of art. I’m taking this course to think more deeply about the aesthetic aspects of… Read more »

Hi everyone, I’m best known as Cath and sometimes I sign off as CathS. I am an instructional designer and have joined the course for two reasons. Firstly I like exploring how other educators are using the e-learning environment to engage their classes and secondly I began to think about the concept of post-humanism after attending the Education and Digital Cultures MOOC (EDCMOOC) presented by Edinburgh University a couple of years ago. It was whilst preparing an assignment for that course that I realised, I am post-human! I am an insulin dependent diabetic and I wear an artificial pancreas system… Read more »