Human No More : Digital Subjectivities, Unhuman Subjects, and the End of Anthropology

Turning an anthropological eye toward cyberspace, __Human No More__ explores how conditions of the online world shape identity, place, culture, and death within virtual communities.Online worlds have recently thrown into question the traditional anthropological conception of place-based ethnography. They break definitions, blur distinctions, and force us to rethink the notion of the "subject." __Human No More__ asks how digital cultures can be integrated and how the ethnography of both the "unhuman" and the "digital" could lead to possible reconfiguring the notion of the "human."This provocative and groundbreaking work challenges fundamental assumptions about the entire field of anthropology. Cross-disciplinary research from well-respected contributors makes this volume vital to the understanding of contemporary human interaction. It will be of interest not only to anthropologists but also to students and scholars of media, communication, popular culture, identity, and technology. The Mutual Co-construction Of Online And Onground In Cyborganic: Making An Ethnography Of Networked Social Media Speak To Challenges Of The Posthuman / Jennifer Cool -- We Were Always Human / Zeynep Tufekci -- Manufacturing And Encountering Human In The Age Of Digital Reproduction / Matthew Bernius -- The Digital Graveyard: Online Social Networking Sites As Vehicles Of Remembrance / Jenny Ryan -- Anonymous, Anonymity, And The End(s) Of Identity And Groups Online: Lessons From The First Internet-based Superconsciousness / Michael Wesch And The Digital Ethnography Class Of Spring 2009 -- Splitting And Layering At The Interface: Mediating Indian Diasporas Across Generations / Radhika Gajjala And Sue Ellen Mccomas -- Avatar: A Posthuman Perspective On Virtual Worlds / Gray Graffam -- Technology, Representation, And The E-thropologist: The Shape-shifting Field Among Native Amazonians / Stephanie W. Alemán -- The Adventures Of Mark And Olly: The Pleasures And Horrors Of Anthropology On Tv / James Hoesterey -- Invisible Caboclos And Vagabond Ethnographers: A Look At Ethnographic Engagement In Twenty-first Century Amazonia / Kent Wisniewski -- Marginal Bodies, Altered States, And Subhumans: (dis)articulations Between Physical And Virtual Realities In Centro São Paolo / Michael Heckenberger -- Are We There Yet?: The End Of Anthropology Is Beyond The Human / Neil L. Whitehead. Edited By Neil L. Whitehead And Michael Wesch. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Turning an anthropological eye toward cyberspace, Human No More explores how conditions of the online world shape identity, place, culture, and death within virtual communities. Online worlds have recently thrown into question the traditional anthropological conception of place-based ethnography. They break definitions, blur distinctions, and force us to rethink the notion of the "subject." Human No More asks how digital cultures can be integrated and how the ethnography of both the "unhuman" and the "digital" could lead to possible reconfiguring the notion of the "human." This provocative and groundbreaking work challenges fundamental assumptions about the entire field of anthropology. Cross-disciplinary research from well-respected contributors makes this volume vital to the understanding of contemporary human interaction. It will be of interest not only to anthropologists but also to students and scholars of media, communication, popular culture, identity, and technology. Cover 1 Contents 8 Introduction: Human No More 12 1: The Mutual Co-Construction of Online and Onground in Cyborganic 22 2: We Were Always Human 44 3: Manufacturing and Encountering “Human” in the Age of Digital Reproduction 60 4: The Digital Graveyard 82 5: Anonymous, Anonymity, and the End(s) of Identity and Groups Online 100 6: Splitting and Layering at the Interface 116 7: Avatar 142 8: Technology, Representation, and the “E-thropologist” 158 9: The Adventures of Mark and Olly 168 10: Invisible Caboclos and Vagabond Ethnographers 188 11: Marginal Bodies, Altered States, and Subhumans 210 12: Are We There Yet? 228 Afterword 242 Contributors 246 Index 248 Turning an anthropological eye toward cyberspace, this book explores how conditions of the on-line world shape identity, place, culture, and death within virtual communities