Lehrende: Lorenz Gosch
Veranstaltungsart: Seminar
Orga-Einheit: 03-Ethnologie
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Semesterwochenstunden: 2
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Offizielle Kursbeschreibung: Thinking the organic, in particular the human body, in terms of genetic composition or genetic disposition has altered basic categories such as those of health, identity or life in general in many parts of the world. The most recent release of “crispr/cas” promises to intensify this specific view on the body even further – as indicated by the rhetoric surrounding it. Techniques/ technologies like this pose ethical, politico-economic as well as ontological questions concerning the possibility to “engineer” organisms. The course aims to explore some of the different anthropological approaches towards what is referred to as the “new genetics”. In fact, anthropologists have paid considerable attention to this inter-disciplinary field; hence there exists a broad body of literature. We will start the course by reflecting on our own speaking position in relation to the respective field of knowledge – a critical evaluation of issues of authority and the abilities to produce authoritative knowledge in the context of critique. The subsequent sessions will be an attempt to probe the manifold theoretical entrance points anthropologists have constructed. Among others, we will take a look at concepts such as that of cyborgs (Haraway) and hybrids (Latour), biosocial becomings (Ingold, Palsson) and biopower/ -politics (Foucault, Agamben, Rose, Rabinow).