Cyborg or Goddess? Donna Haraway: Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart and Donna Gallagher Based on a presentation by: Jay M. Gipson-King & Katheryn Wright Gender,

Cyborg or

Goddess?

Donna Haraway:

Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart and Donna GallagherBased on a presentation by: Jay M. Gipson-King & Katheryn Wright Gender, Authority, and the Politics of Representation in Science & ArtJuly 20, 2004

Key Terms: CyborgTraditional & SF

What are the traditional and science ficition definitions of “Cyborg”?

Game time!

Find that Cyborg!

Haraway’s Cyborg #1Cyborg as Hunter

Describe Haraway’s concept of Cyborg as hunter:

Haraway’s Cyborg #2Cyborg as metaphor

Describe Haraway’s concept of Cyborg as metaphor:

#1: Cyborg as Hunter

#2: Cyborg as Metaphor

3 Crucial BreakdownsWhat are the 3 crucial breakdowns of

Cyborg?

Cyborg as hybridDescribe Haraway’s concept of Cyborg as

hybrid:

What about identity politics?

What is Haraway’s identity politics?

How do we make the jump to the cyborg?

Informatics of Domination

What would the politics that embraces fractured identities and complex networks of connections look like?

What are ‘Informatics of Domination’ networks?

Informatics of domination…a little game

What terms in the blank replace the old dichotomies found in traditional hierarchical systems…

For example… When I say representation, you say simulation! Heat becomes ______. Reproduction changes to _______. Biological determinism becomes _______. Racial chain of being transforms into ________. Public/private to _________. Nature/ culture becomes _________. Sex changes to _________. Mind becomes ____________. White capitalist patriarchy transforms into ______.

Homework EconomyWhat is Homework Economy?

Homework economy (2)What does a ‘homework economy’ look

like?

The integrated Circuit What is the literal definition of the

integrated circuit?

According to Rachel Grossman?

As a metaphor?

Cyborg identity: 3 main points

What are the 3 main points of cyborg identity?

Cyborg or Goddess? What is Haraway’s overall definition of

the term, “cyborg”?

What are the connotations of the term, “a goddess”?

What are the connotations of the term, “the Goddess”?

What, then, is Haraway’s choice?

Discussion QuestionsWhich would you rather be, a

cyborg or a goddess?

Do you think Haraway’s call for cyborg imagery works on a practical level, or is it merely a “beautiful idea”?

How does Haraway critique other forms of feminism?

Discussion questions In light of our readings in hooks and Schiebinger,

how does Haraway handle the issue of race? Can cyborg imagery apply to groups other than white, middle-class women?

Do gender-bending characters like Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch or Rocky from The Rocky Horror Picture Show relate to Haraway’s cyborg?

Where does art fit into this analysis? What role does it play in the constitution of the cyborg, or does it?