Related: [["The Cyborg Manifesto" (1985) and Cyberfeminism (YouTube essay)]] The Manifesto challenges traditional notions of feminism, particularly identity politics, and instead encourages coalition through affinity. Haraway uses the cyborg to represent plasticity of identity and to highlight the limitations of socially imposed identities. Three boundary breakdowns since the 20th century that have allowed for her hybrid, cyborg myth: 1. **Human/Animal**: Advances in evolutionary theory and biology have destabilized the boundary between humans and animals. - Example: Chimpanzees challenge the idea that tool-making and complex social behaviors are uniquely human traits. 2. **Animal-Human/Machine**: The development of modern machines—particularly in the 20th century—has blurred the distinctions between the natural and artificial, as machines become more autonomous and humans more integrated with technology. - Example: Brain-controlled robotic limbs, converging human and machine. 3. **Physical/Non-Physical (Organism/Technology)**: Information technologies and the rise of microelectronics have eroded distinctions between materiality and immateriality, or the physical and informational. - Example: Cloud computing and wearable health tech connect physical bodies to intangible data streams, where vitals are monitored and analyzes in non-physical digital spaces. --- # Who is Donna Haraway and What's her Deal? Donna Haraway (1944-) is a feminist scholar and philosopher who became famous for her 1985 essay _A Cyborg Manifesto._ Haraway has a unique and interdisciplinary background, she earned her PhD in biology before turning to philosophy. Her work is an eclectic and inspiring mix of science, philosophy, feminism, and storytelling. Haraway was writing during the second-wave, when feminists were pushing back against rigid ideas about gender and identity— ideas that often put people into neat boxes. Haraway wanted to offer a new vision altogether. Her _Cyborg Manifesto_ broke down the traditional ways of thinking about identity categories. Instead of seeing categories as fixed opposites (man/woman, human/machine), she wanted us to see them as fluid and intertwined. She said we should embrace the idea of being hybrids. # Contemporary Context - Includes references to the **late Cold War, the "Star Wars"** missile defense initiative, and the rise of the new right— bringing **Reagan** into the White House. - **1980s and Feminism**: Second-wave feminism **emphasized shared experience** of oppression among women, but this often **overlooked differences in race, class, and sexuality.** - **The Rise of Technology and Cybernetics:** The 1980s also saw rapid technological advancement— the rise of computing and spread of digital networks. These changes were reshaping how people thought about labor, the body, and society. Haraway evoked the cyborg to address how humans were increasingly intertwined with machines. - **Postmodernism and Critiques of Universals:** Haraway's work is deeply influenced by postmodernism, which critiques universal truths and celebrates fragmentation, multiplicity, and situated perspectives. She challenges dominant scientific and cultural narratives that claim objectivity, particularly patriarchy. - **Late Capitalism:** The economic system of late capitalism in the 1980s was also a target of her critique. She identified ways technology and neoliberal systems exploited bodies, while offering potential tools for subversion and reimagining identity. # Casual Explanation The Cyborg Manifesto isn't about literally turning us into robots. It's a creative way to talk about identity, feminism, and how we think about ourselves in a world full of technology. Haraway uses the idea of the cyborg—part human, part machine—as a **metaphor** to challenge the old ways we divide things into rigid categories, like man/woman, human/machine, or nature/culture. Haraway's saying that in our world, as technology blends into our life, those old boundaries don't apply anymore. Think about how we use smartphones— they're kind of extensions of us, right? That's a small, everyday example of being a bit cyborg-like. Haraway's manifesto is about imagining new ways to live and work together, without being stuck in these fixed boxes that society tries to put us in, like what it means to be a 'real man' or a 'real woman,' or what's considered 'natural.' It helps us think more creatively and embrace complexity and diversity, with challenges like sexism, racism, and climate change. Haraway is intentionally invoking creative, sci-fi to make us think differently— not that we'll literally become half-robot. We already blur the lines between what's human and what's machine, and that's not a bad thing, as long as we approach it with care. Now, _Blade Runner 2049_ is full of cyborg-like questions: What does it mean to be human? Can machines have feelings, dreams, or even souls? What happens when the lines between humans and machines get so blurry that we can’t tell the difference? These are the kinds of questions Haraway would love. # Key Themes to Watch for in Blade Runner - **Blurring Boundaries: Humans vs Replicants** In the film, pay attention to how replicants (the synthetic beings) challenge the idea of what it means to be human. Ask yourself: Do the replicants seem more ‘human’ than some of the actual humans in the story? What does that tell us about where we draw the line between ‘real’ and ‘artificial’?” - **Identity and Hybridity** Haraway argues that identities aren’t fixed—they’re fluid, hybrid, and shaped by relationships. Think about K, the main character. He’s a replicant, but he’s also searching for meaning and identity in a world that sees him as less-than. Does the movie suggest that identity is something you’re born with, or something you create for yourself? How does that compare to the cyborg idea of being part one thing, part another, and fully neither? - **Power and Control** Haraway critiques how systems—like capitalism and patriarchy—control and exploit people, bodies, and even technology. In the film, look at the way replicants are treated. Who has power, and how is it used? What does the film say about systems of oppression—and how characters resist or break free from them? - One thing to keep in mind while watching is: What is the film saying about what makes someone truly ‘alive’? Haraway’s cyborg doesn’t fit into neat categories, and the movie explores how beings that are part human, part machine are still full of complexity and meaning. Does the film make you rethink what it means to be ‘real’ or ‘authentic’? # Main Thesis: The Cyborg as a Hybrid Identity Donna Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto (1985) proposes the cyborg as a metaphor for rejecting essentialist categories and rigid boundaries, such as human/animal, human/machine, and physical/non-physical. The cyborg is a hybrid, embodying fluidity, interconnection, and the collapse of traditional binaries. # Key Ideas - **Challenges Essentialism:** Critiques traditional feminist approaches focused on identity politics, suggesting instead a coalition through "affinity" rather than shared identity. Haraway dismisses fixed identities, emphasizing the fluid, constructed, and multiple nature of the self. - **Critique of Dualisms:** Haraway identifies problematic Western dualisms—like self/other, culture/nature, male/female, and mind/body—as tools of domination. She argues for transcending these oppositional frameworks through the cyborg as a unifying and transformative figure. - **Situated Knowledges:** In line with feminist epistemology, Haraway stresses that all knowledge is situated—rooted in specific context and experiences. This stands in opposition to claims of objective, universal knowledge often associated with patriarchal science. - **Critique of Capitalism and Patriarchal Technology:** The cyborg is described as an "illegitimate offspring" of patriarchal capitalism Haraway critiques how technology and capitalist systems exploit bodies and labor, proposing the cyborg as a resistance to these forces. - **Affirmation of Hybridity and Multiplicity:** The cyborg reflects Haraway's vision of embracing multiplicity and contradiction. By merging the organic and technological, the cyborg challenges purist notions of identity, biology, and humanity. - **Cyborg Politics:** Rejects the quest for perfect communication or unity. Instead, it advocates for partial fragmented identities, enabling diverse coalitions to resist domination while respecting differences.