Post by Laura Cunningham on Mar 19, 2016 19:34:39 GMT
Buran, Sumeyra.
2015 Correspondence Between Cyborg Body and Cyber Self. Journal of Research in Gender Studies. 5(2): 290-322.
Buran explored tropes of science fiction prevalent in the 80's and 90's, such as the dangers of cyborg presence in the real world, the loss of humanity that comes with the creation of mechanical selves as well as the interaction of a single human consciousness between a virtual multiverse. Examples of these tropes can be seen in movies like RoboCop (1987), Hackers (1995), Virtuosity (1995), and the Matrix (1999) as well as the X-Files TV episode Kill Switch (1998). She uses the 1994 book Correspondence by Sue Thomas to illustrate the way theories of feminism and technology intersect in the increasingly digital Web 1.0-era.
For Buran and early technofeminists, science and technology were inherently patriarchal, primarily through the exclusion of female discourse within the fields. These theorists argue that "technology and science can liberate women if used strategically", using a social constructivist framework (Buran 2015: 291).
Through her summary of Correspondence, Buran has several arguments:
1. The technological paradigm in feminist theory during the earliest days of public internet hinged on the destruction of male/female binary. The Internet was an equalizer where all individuals were free of sex, gender, race, creed, ect. Buran suggests that the virtual world is actually safer than the outside world for both sexes because of these reasons: according to her humans seem to be more comfortable surfing the net, "manag[ing[ their lives online while lying on their bed." (2015: 303). Obviously, as we've discussed in other articles, this is a problematic view of the interaction of technology and physical environment.
2. Discusses the Discusses the pitfalls of becoming cyborg, completely removed from the physical experience of humanity. Particularly in relation to the concepts of womanhood: most explicitly that of being a mother. She quotes Wajcman, saying, "women can 'defy biology altogether by choosing not to have a child, choosing to have a child after menopause, or choosing the sex of their child'." (2015: 291). This, in essence, is the path to cyborg of the female sex. It allows a woman to "sever
the link between femininity and maternity . . . so the categories of the
body, gender, sex, and sexuality. This is liberating for women, who
have been captive to biology." (2015: 291).
3. Describes the deterministic approach to technology of the earlier feminist theorists (up to the early 1990's). For Buran, in terms of Cyberfeminism, women gain access by using various technologies, so in this way, they participate in cyberspace and achieve liberation from conventional gender roles, freedom and gender-free future in the global cyberspace. She cites Plant, who argued for a "genderquake" early during the 1990's where technological power and advances actually shifted to women, rather than men (2015: 305). This shift was precipitated by the concept of binaries, men represented digitally by a 1 and women represented digitally by the 0. For many years, "women were considered 'single purpose systems, highly programmed, predetermined systems tooled up and fit for just one thing' but this is more suitable for men who single minded behaviors and actions." (2015: 305).
2015 Correspondence Between Cyborg Body and Cyber Self. Journal of Research in Gender Studies. 5(2): 290-322.
Buran explored tropes of science fiction prevalent in the 80's and 90's, such as the dangers of cyborg presence in the real world, the loss of humanity that comes with the creation of mechanical selves as well as the interaction of a single human consciousness between a virtual multiverse. Examples of these tropes can be seen in movies like RoboCop (1987), Hackers (1995), Virtuosity (1995), and the Matrix (1999) as well as the X-Files TV episode Kill Switch (1998). She uses the 1994 book Correspondence by Sue Thomas to illustrate the way theories of feminism and technology intersect in the increasingly digital Web 1.0-era.
 |  |  | |
| Russell Crowe as Sid 6.7, a computer program brought to life through cyborg technology. Virtuosity (1995). | The cast of Hackers (1995), one of the first films to illustrate the devious side of online usage. | RoboCop and the woman he wanted to love but couldn't. Because he's a robot. (1995) | Fox Mulder trapped in a virtual world by an evil artificial intelligence. The X-Files (1998) |
For Buran and early technofeminists, science and technology were inherently patriarchal, primarily through the exclusion of female discourse within the fields. These theorists argue that "technology and science can liberate women if used strategically", using a social constructivist framework (Buran 2015: 291).
Keywords: Social Constructivism in Feminism
"The sense that technology and society are mutually constituting, hence the coproduction of gender and technology" (2015: 291)
i.e. one produces the other.
"The sense that technology and society are mutually constituting, hence the coproduction of gender and technology" (2015: 291)
i.e. one produces the other.
Through her summary of Correspondence, Buran has several arguments:
1. The technological paradigm in feminist theory during the earliest days of public internet hinged on the destruction of male/female binary. The Internet was an equalizer where all individuals were free of sex, gender, race, creed, ect. Buran suggests that the virtual world is actually safer than the outside world for both sexes because of these reasons: according to her humans seem to be more comfortable surfing the net, "manag[ing[ their lives online while lying on their bed." (2015: 303). Obviously, as we've discussed in other articles, this is a problematic view of the interaction of technology and physical environment.
2. Discusses the Discusses the pitfalls of becoming cyborg, completely removed from the physical experience of humanity. Particularly in relation to the concepts of womanhood: most explicitly that of being a mother. She quotes Wajcman, saying, "women can 'defy biology altogether by choosing not to have a child, choosing to have a child after menopause, or choosing the sex of their child'." (2015: 291). This, in essence, is the path to cyborg of the female sex. It allows a woman to "sever
the link between femininity and maternity . . . so the categories of the
body, gender, sex, and sexuality. This is liberating for women, who
have been captive to biology." (2015: 291).
3. Describes the deterministic approach to technology of the earlier feminist theorists (up to the early 1990's). For Buran, in terms of Cyberfeminism, women gain access by using various technologies, so in this way, they participate in cyberspace and achieve liberation from conventional gender roles, freedom and gender-free future in the global cyberspace. She cites Plant, who argued for a "genderquake" early during the 1990's where technological power and advances actually shifted to women, rather than men (2015: 305). This shift was precipitated by the concept of binaries, men represented digitally by a 1 and women represented digitally by the 0. For many years, "women were considered 'single purpose systems, highly programmed, predetermined systems tooled up and fit for just one thing' but this is more suitable for men who single minded behaviors and actions." (2015: 305).
