The Cyborg’s Topos: Europe vs Asia
pdf (Русский)

Keywords

cyborg topos topological reflection Asia and Europe culture futurology posthumanism Ghost in the Shell theomachy phyllidous plot

How to Cite

Obolkina, S. (2020). The Cyborg’s Topos: Europe vs Asia. Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 2(4), 14-34. https://doi.org/10.46539/gmd.v2i4.127

Abstract

This article investigates the topic of posthumanism and the futurological perspective of cyborgization. The research subject was the ‘cyborg’ mythologeme and its implementation in the Ghost in the Shell franchise. The method of topological reflection was used to analyse this piece of mass art as a cultural “unconscious” phenomenon and to formulate the following research question: should cyborgization be treated as a universal phenomenon or does it have any cultural specifics in the Asian and European contexts? The conducted analysis showed that the ‘cyborg’ mythologeme, though demonstrating topological continuity in the form of cyberpunk, splits into two toposes – Asian and European. Both toposes are characterized by religious attitudes (in their secular manifestation) specific to these cultures. As a result, the cyborg’s topos is realized in the form of two futurological plots – phyllidous and theomachic. It is concluded that, at least for the time being, the prediction about a universal global future with erased cultural differences is somewhat premature; the identified plots cannot be realized as a universal developmental perspective due to their conflicting nature. This conclusion can be important for both futurology and a wide range of studies related to the sociocultural specifics of Asia and Europe.

https://doi.org/10.46539/gmd.v2i4.127
pdf (Русский)

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