In this Book
University of Minnesota Press
- Avatar Bodies: A Tantra For Posthumanism
- Book
- 2004
- Published by: University of Minnesota Press
- Series: Electronic Mediations
summary
Otherness, alterity, the alien—over the course of the past fifty years many of us have based our hopes for more ethical relationships on concepts of difference. Combining philosophy, literary criticism, fiction, autobiography, and real and imagined correspondence, Ann Weinstone proposes that only when we stop ordering the other to be other—whether technological, animal, or simply inanimate—will we truly become posthuman.
Posthumanism has thus far focused nearly exclusively on human–technology relations. Avatar Bodies develops a posthumanist vocabulary for human-to-human relationships that turns our capacities for devotion, personality, and pleasure. Drawing on both the philosophies and practices of Indian Tantra, Weinstone argues for the impossibility of absolute otherness; we are all avatar bodies, consisting of undecidably shared gestures, skills, memories, sensations, beliefs, and affects.
Weinstone calls her book a “tantra”—by which she means a set of instructions for practices aimed at sensitizing the reader to the inherent permeability of self to other, self to world. This tantra for posthumanism elaborates devotional gestures that will expose us to more unfettered contacts and the transformative touch.
Posthumanism has thus far focused nearly exclusively on human–technology relations. Avatar Bodies develops a posthumanist vocabulary for human-to-human relationships that turns our capacities for devotion, personality, and pleasure. Drawing on both the philosophies and practices of Indian Tantra, Weinstone argues for the impossibility of absolute otherness; we are all avatar bodies, consisting of undecidably shared gestures, skills, memories, sensations, beliefs, and affects.
Weinstone calls her book a “tantra”—by which she means a set of instructions for practices aimed at sensitizing the reader to the inherent permeability of self to other, self to world. This tantra for posthumanism elaborates devotional gestures that will expose us to more unfettered contacts and the transformative touch.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xii
- (Post)Humanism
- pp. 8-11
- Suspension
- pp. 12-14
- Deconstruction and Posthumanism?
- pp. 15-16
- Nonphilosophy
- pp. 17-20
- Tidal Kneeplay
- pp. 21-22
- Deleuze and Derrida: You Are Other
- pp. 23-24
- Fiora Raggi Kneeplay
- pp. 31-32
- Tantra for Posthumanism
- pp. 33-36
- Speaking of Assimilation
- pp. 37-39
- Avatar Bodies
- pp. 40-42
- First City Kneeplay
- pp. 43-49
- Insect Threads
- pp. 50-51
- Insects and Buddhists
- pp. 55-58
- The Insect Self
- pp. 59-61
- The Insect Yogi
- pp. 62-63
- Knowing, Caring
- pp. 64-67
- Second City Kneeplay
- pp. 68-70
- Some Celibate Erotics
- pp. 74-76
- Vira Action
- pp. 77-78
- The Wasp and the Orchid
- pp. 79-82
- Becoming Woman, Becoming Yogini
- pp. 89-90
- Vira Bhava Kneeplay
- p. 95
- Sorcerer Series III: Rheya
- pp. 96-100
- Sorcerer Series IV: The Miracle of the Rogue
- pp. 101-103
- Heroes of Difference
- pp. 104-107
- Emanation/Expression
- pp. 111-114
- Three Bodies
- p. 115
- Avatar and Expression
- pp. 118-120
- The Difference Difference
- pp. 121-123
- Avatar Bodies, an Invitation
- pp. 124-125
- Itara and Avatara
- pp. 126-127
- Tantric Bodies
- pp. 128-129
- Fourth City Kneeplay
- pp. 130-131
- Eating, Well . . .
- pp. 132-133
- Eating Animals
- pp. 134-136
- Vegetarians, Brahmins
- pp. 137-138
- Tantra’s Third Way
- pp. 139-141
- Love and Justice
- pp. 144-145
- Experience
- pp. 146-148
- Intuition, Perhaps
- pp. 149-152
- A Tantra for Posthumanism
- 2. I Am Speaking of Devotion (Bhakti)
- pp. 154-158
- 3. Discipleship (Diksa)
- pp. 158-159
- 4. Iteration (Japa)
- pp. 159-161
- 5. Transindividualism (Nyasa)
- pp. 161-163
- 6. Enjoyment, Intoxication (Bhoga)
- pp. 163-169
- 7. Gesture (Mudra)
- pp. 169-170
- Fifth City Kneeplay: Solaris in Your Eyes
- pp. 171-172
- Epistlirium
- pp. 173-174
- Every Relation but One: Part II
- pp. 175-176
- Hard to Say
- pp. 177-180
- The Postal Age
- pp. 181-183
- (Post) Heroism
- pp. 184-186
- Post Heroism
- pp. 187-189
- The Sacrificial Structure of the Post
- pp. 193-196
- E-Mail Mudra
- pp. 206-209
- Postscript
- pp. 215-218
- Works Cited
- pp. 219-228
Additional Information
ISBN
9780816694792
Related ISBN(s)
9780816641475
MARC Record
OCLC
133160894
Pages
248
Launched on MUSE
2015-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No