Abstract

This is the first book to provide an overview of a range of different perspectives within a posthuman framework, and to make the argument for a progressive emancipatory project from a posthuman perspective. With the emergence of viewpoints critical of such approaches, the books address these critiques. Examining the question of policy-making under conditions of complexity, Cudworth and Hobden develop such questions by addressing the following themes: In a world typified by complexity, how is it possible to pursue political projects? How have ideas about emancipation been developed, and does the notion of emancipation still hold relevance for the contemporary world order? What are the implications of differing posthuman/new materialist viewpoints for an emancipatory project? The chapters consider various interpretations of the term 'emancipation', looking at work that has appeared within the posthumanist framework such as Bruno Latour and Jane Bennett. The authors lay out their own account of posthumanism, demonstrating how it avoids the problems that have been found within this framework, and considering the possibilities for emancipatory projects and public policy. It will be of great interest to postgraduates and scholars of International Relations, Political Theory, Environmental Studies, and Sociology.