Bloomsbury Academic Posthuman Pandemic, The

With the COVID-19 crisis forcing us to reflect in a dramatic way on the limits of the human and the implications of the Anthropocene Age, this timely volume addresses these concerns through an exploration of post-humanism as represented in philosophy, politics and aesthetics. Global pandemics bring into sharp focus the bankruptcy of the neoliberal economic paradigm, the future of the arts sector in society, and our dependence upon political forces outside our control. In response to the recent state of emergency, The Posthuman Pandemichighlights the urgent need to rethink our anthropocentrism and develop new political models, aesthetic practices and ways of living. Central to these discussions is the idea of post-humanism, a philosophy that can help us grapple with the crisis, as it takes seriously the unstable ecosystems on which we depend and the precarious nature of our long-cherished notions of agency and sovereignty. Bringing together international philosophers, political theorists and media and art theorists, all of whom engage with the posthuman, this volume explores a range of vital subjects, from the inequality revealed by COVID-19 survival rates to museums’ role in spreading human-centric understandings of a world struck by human fragility. Facing up to the realities that the coronavirus outbreak has uncovered, The Posthuman Pandemic combines both breadth and depth of analysis to take on the posthuman challenges confronting us today. Review Turning to philosophy, politics, and arts as inventive sites for thinking the human otherwise in these viral times, <i>The Posthuman Pandemic</i> brings together an impressive collection of cross-disciplinary voices demonstrating the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed and reshaped our posthuman condition. A timely and urgently needed analysis. --Zahi Zalloua, Cushing Eells Professor of Philosophy and Literature and Professor of French and Interdisciplinary Studies, Whitman College, United States About the Author Satoko Ichihara was born in Osaka in 1988 and grew up in Fukuoka Prefecture. She studied theatre at J. F. Oberlin University. Since 2011, she has led the theatre unit Q. Ichihara is known for creating and directing dramas that deal with human actions and the di scomfort of the physiological needs of the body, as well as for her distinctive use of language and physicality. Ichihara was a Junior Fellow Artist of the Saison Foundation. She won the 11th AAF Drama Award for her play Mushi Insects in 2011, and the 64th Kunio Kishida Drama Award in 2020 for her play The Bacchae Holstein 3 Milk Cows.Shiro Maeda is a Playwright, Director, Novelist, Film director, Screenwriter and Actor. Maeda founded the theatre company GOTANNDADAN in 1997 while he was a university student. He won the 52nd Kishida Drama Award for “Isn’t Anyone Alive?” (2007). As a novelist, he won the 22nd Mishima Yukio Prize for “The Mermen of Summer Water” (2009) and was nominated for the 137th Akutagawa Prize for “The Great Life Adventure” (2007) and again for the 158th Akutagawa Prize for “Triple Bind” (2017). He also won the 46th Galaxy Award for Excellence for his teleplay for the NHK drama “Shopping” (2009) and the Mukouda Kuniko Award for his script for the NHK drama "Seven Minutes on Foot" (2015). Takuya Yokoyama is aPlaywright, Director, and Head of the iaku Theatre Company. Born in Osaka on January 21, 1977, Yokoyama is a playwright, director, and head of iaku theatre company (f.2012). He is known for writing plays structured in precise conversational layers that, like a spiral stairway, lead the audience unexpectedly into moments of conflict among his characters. The rich dramaturgy of his plays invites repeated productions. Furthermore, he aims to create plays that are entertaining while also standing up to critical viewing by adult audiences. Yokoyama has received numerous awards including the 1st Sendai Short Drama Award for Not Knowing How O