1. Ballard, Susan (2011) ‘My Viewing Body Does Not End At The Skin.’
http://www.voyd.com/ttlg/textual/ballardessay.htm (accessed 10 March 2011)
The author examined that human body cannot end at the most exterior skin which since there are too much to analyze and interpret insides. This statement was declared by Donna Haraway in 1985 that challenged the former dualistic ideology operated in daily operation. Susan Ballard indicated that the observation experience of human being was not only based on the eyes but in large extent, attributed to the interaction and cooperation of the body. Skin means nothing if symbolic meanings applied on it. It functioned through interactions between human beings. Besides, she premised if ‘voice’ had transformation and could be separated, the framework used to demarcate body which is ‘skin’, should be questioned. Furthermore, those transformations brought along by technologies improvement also generated a revolutionary sense towards corporeal body. Interaction between objects and situations largely contributed to the viewing process and as the result, material’s body was no longer be the solely basis. In addition, Susan Ballard explored a decisive element that ‘desire’ emerged and functioned, finally emanated to the front of the viewer. ‘Desire’ doesn’t only shape one’s behavior alone, but also affect self identity which changes the process of future embodiment. These images and desire provided rooms for people to mimesis and affect future embodiment.
2. Bayne, Siân (2004)’ The Embodiment Of The Online Learner.’
http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:dqvVxQzlfkJ:scholar.google.com/+why+body+end+at+skin+haraway&hl=en&as_sdt=1,5 (accessed 11 March 2011)
Siân Bayne reconfirmed the importance of re-articulation of body. Identities are constructed through human interaction and not purely natural as well as bodies does. She admitted that bio-technology mapped the basic construction of identity at one level, rather, Dr. Bayne also emphasized on the technological intervention in modifying human body in terms of cosmetic and therapeutic. She regarded cyborg as a breakthrough which destroys the common dualistic ideology between organism and machine, or even culture and nature. Since cyborg is designed in the fusion of mechanic and physical, those technological penetrations accelerated the breakdown of human skin’s function. Along with the technology improvement, the existence of future cyborg would highly alter our own embodiment. Skin and human body would not be the essential criteria and characteristics to provide concrete definition towards human being. Bayne also replenished it by suggesting that no matter how the future visualizing human beings and the “body” must be attached, but there are still uncertainties whether what cooperation between mechanic and organic. It might be cyborgs with physical skin outside, cybernetic elements inside. More cyborgs in human skin emerged, more ethical debates came out as the borders between human and robot are blurred. Rather than being the trait only for organism, skin, might build upon cybernetic subjects and the cover would be gathered by a group of tissue layer.
3. Kunzru, Hari (2004)’You Are Cyborg.’
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.02/ffharaway_pr.html (accessed 10 March 2011)
Hari Kunzru provided definition on cyborg that is a mixture of animal and machine. It became a framework to challenge common dualistic ideology. The world is no longer operated by binary opposition, but something ‘the third’ would be appeared. Since animation technology developed rapidly, those imaginations of cyborg became visualized. Science stories not only grounded the fantasy for audience, but also served as the platform to overthrow mainstream ideology. The ideas of cyborg in animations and films opposed the general stereotypes that woman were submissive, weak and emotional naturally. The border between human beings and robot was going to be blurred. Skin, as the most obvious evidence to differentiate between physical bodies and machine components, became worthless. In addition, the world was no longer to be natural and human beings could make efforts to change it. The author believed that human, like cyborgs, could be reconstructed since they are not natural at all. Hari followed by imaging whether human in the future, is going to be biologically destined to fight war if weapons are built up inside. As the result, technology will be the major cause to shape one’s identity, sexuality and even gender. Since human have been more sophisticated, cyborg may be the decisive counter-force to make the world remains functioned.
4. Morse, Margaret(2005)‘Sunshine and Shroud: Cyborg Bodies and the Collective and Personal Self.‘
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/source-text/117/ (accessed 10 March 2011)
Base on the statement ‘why should our bodies end at skin‘ from Donna Haraway, the author addressed three major undeveloped liminal qualities of cyborg and suggested that the boundries between physical and non-physical have already been entailed by the belief of emboidment. Margaret proposed that cyborg is a aspect of human emboidment instead of a separated being. Cyborg is a transformation form human to robot. The embodiment would no longer be purely humanity but obtained combination between physical and non-physical. Hence, cyborg is only partly physical and the rest filled with mechanic elements which are invisible but ubiquitous. Cyborg might covered by physical skin but nothing skelton is inside. Normal bood vessels are replaced by circuits and electronic threads. Therefore, the boder between human and robot became hidden and confused. At the same time, cyborg imagining needed to overthrow the dualistic ideology between individual and collective. Margaret explord that cyborg involved the process of disassociation and affilitation. Furthermore, Margaret suggested that human embodiment was unstable and changed over time. Culture, technologies, or even human beings themselves will affect the embodiment process. As the result, embodiement required the self-contruction beyond skin from flesh to space in order to adapt to the changing world.
5. Ashby, Madeline (2008) ‘Ownership, authority, and the body: Does antifanfic sentiment reflect posthuman anxiety?’
http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/40/49 (accessed 12 March 2011)
Madeine believed that the construction of posthuman images would intertwine between genetic, mechanical and psychological which are hybirds of the creation of science fiction and social reality. She suggested that some of the women characters in cyborg films and fictions are the pioneer of future human bodies and identities. Wonmen were merged with the high technologies and organic components. Although those females characters are still contained traditional characteristics like long hair and huge breast, they are more engaged to alter others stereotypes towards woman. Those reproduction protentials of females would not be the path to humanity and wholeness anymore. From now on, this is an era that human beings, especially bodies, are no longer be easily observed. Thus, new generation of women will celebrate for the rejection of body and pleased for the performance of newly identities which help females subvert the former patriarchal authority. Patriarchy society would no longer existed and women, as the revolutionary force, might get over men and dominate the future.Regenerate becomes the key of cyborg identity instead of having rebirth. Madeine believed that cyborg doesn’t only provide challenges for the binary opposition between physical human beings and cybernetic mechanical, but also establish a basis for future anthropology researches as well as gender studies.
Work Cited
Hari Kunzru: «You Are Cyborg.»\\
Madeline Ashby: «Ownership, authority, and the body: Does antifanfic sentiment reflect posthumananxiety?»
Margaret Morse: «Sunshine and Shroud: Cyborg Bodies and the Collective and Personal Self».
Susan Ballard: «My Viewing Body Does Not End At The Skin.»
Siân Bayne: «The Embodiment Of The Online Learner.»
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