My webliography- sorry it's so late!

Webliography: Question 3

Donna Haraway’s figure of the cyborg has been reproduced and reinterpreted through a range of different mediums and genres since it was first introduced in the 1980’s. Although this is the case, the figure of the cyborg isn’t limited to Haraway’s definition; numerous feminist writers such as Anne Balsamo and Chela Sandoval have contributed to discussions about ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’ and concepts such as cyborg feminism. Through the five articles I’ve located, a vast range of viewpoints have been explored in regards to whether the figure of the cyborg contributes to the emancipation of women in terms of science and technology. Furthermore, many writers argue that the interpretation of the cyborg in popular culture, science fiction and academic writing detracts from this concept and prevents empowerment. The five articles I’ve located present a perfect array of perspectives in regards to the figure of the cyborg and its adaptation beyond ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’.

The first article by Joan Blauwkamp and Nicole Krassas would be an excellent starting point in answering the question at hand. The article begins by touching on Haraway’s definition of a cyborg, a ‘cybernetic organism, combining biological and mechanical parts’. By touching on Haraway’s definition of a cyborg, I would attain the necessary background information in order to conduct a comparative discussion. The article then presents an array of interpretations of the figure of the cyborg by feminist writers such as Jennifer Gonzalez. According to Gonzalez, the cyborg in popular culture cannot be considered an opportunity for emancipation; rather, the cyborg erases differences between genders. Furthermore, the opinions of Jenny Wolmark and Anne Balsamo are expressed. The article also presents numerous in depth case studies such as an analysis of Dana Scully from the X Files, as well as analyses of cyborgs in Marge Piercy’s novel He, She, and It, and two Star Trek series, ‘The Next Generation’ and ‘Voyager’. Overall, the article serves to challenge Haraway’s claims. Through presenting case studies and alluding to other feminist writers’ perspectives, the article suggests that the figure of the cyborg is concerning, that it fortifies gender boundaries rather than breaks them. Being an online source, it is important to address the reliability of this paper. The article was located on an academic database and it states that the article was to be presented at an annual meeting of The Midwest Political Science Association in 2006. Due to its scholarly nature, the paper would be useful in answering the question, however one would need to be wary of evidence of bias. Furthermore we know nothing about the authors and their academic credentials so we should be especially discerning when reading the article.

The second source by Anne Balsamo takes my research a step further. Balsamo’s novel, a limited version published online via Google Books, provides a theoretical analysis of the body, the way it can be ‘represented according to broader cultural determinations’ and the way in which the body ‘becomes a bearer of signs and cultural meaning’. Balsamo cites numerous anthropologists and philosophers such as Michel Foucault, Bryan Turner, Mary Douglas and Marcel Mauss. Douglas offers an excellent argument when addressing the gendered body and its construction in culture, stating that the body and its social dimension are intrinsically bound. Balsamo then continues to address Haraway’s ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs’ and the challenging task of reading cyborgs. The article concludes with Balsamo citing Andrea Huyssen, who claims that ‘the crisis of modernism pivots on the problematic of otherness’ and agrees with Haraway, that cyborgs are particularly emblematic of postmodern identity. Although the limited online version of Balsamo’s novel doesn’t focus on Haraway’s figure of the cyborg, I still find it useful in attaining a deeper understanding of traditional representations of the gendered body and its relationship with culture, identity and technology. In answering the essay question I would endeavour to read the entire novel for a more specific focus on the figure of the cyborg. Due to the online article being a limited version of a novel, and written by a well-known feminist writer, I trust the source’s credibility.

The third article, a limited, online version of a novel by Chela Sandoval, shows another way in which feminists have taken up the figure of the cyborg. The article makes a comparison between Haraway’s cyberfeminist theoretical framework and ‘technologies and techniques from U.S third world cultural forms’, such as ‘women of colour’ and ‘mestizajie’, people of European and Native American origin who adapt to live in Latin America. The article compares feminists of colour as keeping intact ‘shifting and multiple identities’ and cyborgs, similarly as ‘resolutely committed to partiality, irony, intimacy and perversity’. Sandoval refers to Haraway’s use of the term ‘joint kinship’ as ‘analogous to that called for in contemporary indigenous writings’. Further comparisons are made between traditionally oppressed and marginalised groups such as women of colour and Haraway’s figure of the cyborg. I found this article interesting as it presented a completely different take on cyberfeminism and Haraway’s theoretical framework. Similarly with the previous article I addressed, in answering the essay question I would seek to read the entire novel to attain a better understanding of Sandoval’s comparisons. Furthermore, being an online version of a published text by a reputable publishing house, I believe the source to be credible and relevant.

My fourth chosen paper addresses the way in which cyberfeminism can be expressed as a ‘risk’. I chose this article as I appreciated its local, modern take on the subject of Haraway’s figure of the cyborg. Numerous Australian writers are cited such as Susan Luckman. The article stresses the importance of risk taking for women when interacting with technology, and highlights the successes of risk taking hypertext writers such as Teri Hoskin and Melinda Rackham. The article also suggests that the risk in cyberfeminism is the ‘construction and power of women, as the core value of feminism’ being endangered. Furthermore, the article states that in the ‘context of feminism or cyberfeminism, the risks taken by women do not allude to mastery or consolidation, but to transformation and re-evaluation’. Although this article is relevant on a local level, it is not particularly reliable. No mention of the author is made or the author’s credentials. Furthermore, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where this article has come from. All that I could gather was that it came from an Australian website called ‘Flytrap’, which hosts a range of other academic articles on a range of technology related topics. The information presented in this article, whilst useful and local, cannot be valued as highly as my other scholarly articles.

My final article, written by Francesca Myman, is an in depth case study of the figure of the cyborg in the 1927 film, Metropolis. The article serves as a critique of the sexualisation of the female robot Maria. Here, the reader can see the way in which the female cyborg was represented in the 1920s, before the term cyborg came to fruition. Myman states that the nature of the robot ‘casts a negative light on the general cultural construction of the femme fatale’. My final article presents a useful, in-depth study of the figure of a cyborg before Haraway introduced the term, and the way in which a modern feminist writer has interpreted this figure. Although this is the case, the credibility of the article is perplexing, it appears the article is off the author’s private website. With no mention of credentials or purpose for writing the piece, we once again must be discerning when reading and using the information.
In conclusion, the five articles I chose gave me a range of viewpoints in regards to the adaptation of the figure of the cyborg beyond Haraway’s ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs’. Due to the articles’ online nature, it was important to be discerning when analysing their content.