Thesis (MA (English))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The end of the second millennium saw a sudden return to corporeality, especially within
feminist scholarship, where embodiment and issues surrounding the body were, for the
first time, made explicit. This study examines the corporeal body in relation to
technology and the impact that newly emerging virtual technologies have on our
understanding of the body, not only through examining representations of the
technologically modified body, but also by exploring how contemporary cultural
practices produce corporeal bodies that view themselves as somehow integrated with
technology. It focuses on the material artefacts of contemporary culture in relation to
explicitly virtual technologies, both arguing for a return to corporeality and contesting the
pervasive trope of disembodiment that characterises so-called “posthuman” age.
This study thus takes one of the most popular metaphors for the relationship between the
corporeal body and technology as its starting point, namely Donna Haraway’s cyborg
figures. Following the publication of Haraway’s “A Manifesto for Cyborgs” (1985), the
female cyborg became an icon of emancipation for many feminist scholars, who utilised
Haraway’s cyborg discourse as a means of discussing the cultural practices that both
construct and limit female gendered identity. Through closely examining the metaphor of
Haraway’s cyborg figures in relation to cultural representations of female cyborg bodies,
this study argues that, ultimately, the metaphor of the cyborg is inherently neither
challenging nor liberating. It then examines the failure of the cyborg as an icon of
postgenderedness in terms of its negation of the corporeal, as cyborg figures
paradoxically only strengthen the same Cartesian dualism Haraway’s cyborg discourse
attempts to deconstruct. It explores representations of three female cyborg figures found
in contemporary popular culture to illustrate how the cyborg body’s negation of the
corporeal only results in the reiteration of conventional gendered stereotypes, rather than
liberation from oppressive gendered practices.
Finally, this study examines the crucial interplay between the corporeal and the
technological, not only when speaking of more imaginary cyborg configurations and tropes, but also when speaking of the physical reality of lived bodies and embodied
experiences. By examining the increasingly embodied nature of cyberspace, this study
explores possible alternatives to the figure of the hypersexualised and disembodied
cyborg, through investigating new figurations with which to describe the embodied
postmodern subject and his/her dependence on technology. Since the central task for a
feminist ethics of embodiment would be grounded in the project of representing the
female body, in such a way that it constructs autonomous women’s representations
without falling prey to patriarchal, stereotypical or estranging images of women’s bodies,
this study concludes with more useful methods of representing the corporeal body in
relation to virtual technology through an appeal to an ethics of embodiment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die einde van die tweede millennium het ‘n skielike belangstelling in beliggaamdheid
ontlok, veral binne feministiese vakgeleerdheid, waar beliggaamdheid en kwessies
rondom die ligaam vir die eerste keer eksplisiet gestel is. Hierdie studie ondersoek die
stoflike liggaam in verhouding tot tegnologie en die invloed wat nuwe, virtuele
tegnologiëe op ons begrip van die liggaam het, nie slegs deur voorstellings van die
tegnologies-gemodifieërde ligaam te ondersoek nie, maar deur ook te kyk na hoe
kontemporêre kulturele praktyke beliggaamde subjekte produseer wat huself op een of
ander wyse as geïntegreerd met tegnologie sien. Die studie fokus op die materiële
artefakte van kontemporêre kultuur in verhouding tot eksplisiet virtuele tegnologiëe. Dit
bevorder ‘n terugkeer tot beliggaamdheid, terwyl dit teen die sogenaamde “postmenslike”
era se mees kenmerkende troop van ontliggaamdheid argumenteer.
Die studie begin dus deur een van die mees populêre metafore vir die verhouding tussen
die liggaamlike en die tegnologiese te ondersoek, naamlik Donna Haraway se siborgfigure.
Sedert die publikasie van Haraway se “A Manifesto for Cyborgs” (1985), het
verskeie feministiese vakgeleerdes die vroulike siborg-figuur beide as ’n ikoon vir
emansipasie beskou en gebruik om die kulturele praktyke wat vroulike geslagsidentiteit
gelyktydig konstrueer én beperk te bespreek. Deur Haraway se siborg-figure met
kulturele voorstellings van vroulike siborg-liggame te vergelyk, kom hierdie studie tot die
gevolgtrekking dat die metafoor van die siborg inherent nóg uitdaagend nóg bevrydend
is. Gevolglik ondersoek die studie die onbevoegdheid van die siborg-figuur as ‘n ikoon
vir postgeslagtigheid in terme van die siborg-liggaam se negering van beliggaamdheid,
aangesien siborg-figure op ‘n paradoksale wyse die selfde Cartesiaanse dualisme versterk
wat Haraway se siborg-diskoers wou dekonstrueer. Dit ondersoek voorstellings van drie
vroulike siborg-figure in kontemporêre populêre kultuur om te illustreer hoe die siborgliggaam
se negering van beliggaamdheid slegs konvensionele geslagstereotipes versterk,
eerder as om ons van beperkende, patriargale geslagspraktyke te bevry. Ten slotte ondersoek hierdie studie die deurslaggewende tussenspel tussen die ligaamlike
en die tegnologiese, nie slegs in terme van meer denkbeeldige siborg tropes nie, maar ook
in terme van die fisiese reailiteit van konkrete, beliggaamde lewenservaringe. Deur die
toenemend beliggaamde kwaliteit van kiberruimtes te ondersoek, stel hierdie studie
moontlike alternatiewe maniere voor om die postmoderne subjek en sy/haar
afhanklikheid van tegnologie te beskryf, eerder as om op ontliggaamde en hipergeseksualiseerde
siborg-figure staat te maak. Aangesien ‘n feministiese beliggaamde
etiek gegrond is in ‘n projek om die vroulike liggaam op só ‘n wyse voor te stel dat
patriargale, stereotipiese of vervreemdbare beelde van die vroulike liggaam vermy word,
eindig hierdie studie met meer nuttige metodes om die stoflike liggaam in verhouding tot
virtuele tegnologie voor te stel deur ‘n beroep tot ‘n meer beliggaamde etiek te maak.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4139 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Van der Schyff, Karlien |
| Contributors | Goodman, Ralph, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 158 p. : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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