Posthuman Experiences of Men and Masculinities in Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me

Year 2021, Issue: 16, 59 - 72, 30.11.2021

Mustafa Büyükgebiz

Abstract

Post-war science fiction frequently urged to reconsider many norms considered natural in society and introduced a diversity of taken-for-granted norms, particularly gender norms. In this regard, cyberpunk, for instance, offers a valuable resource in defining and analyzing diverse sexualities in the tradition of speculative fiction. In this context, this article aims to exemplify the posthuman experiences of men and masculinities by focusing on Ian McEwan's novel Machines Like Me to examine cyborgs the queer and fluid sexualities and explore posthuman sexualities from critical studies of masculinities perspective. The heteronormative society in which diverse and non-conforming sexualities are perceived as queer necessarily regards cyborgs (and embodied artificial intelligence) as queer and problematizes the fluidity of cyborg sexuality, and Ian McEwan’s cyborg in Machines Like Me provokes the fear of losing masculinity in such a society. In this context, this article aims to exemplify the posthuman experiences of men and masculinities by focusing on Ian McEwan's novel Machines Like Me to examine cyborgs the queer and fluid sexualities and explore posthuman sexualities from critical studies of masculinities perspective.

Keywords

Posthumanism, masculinities, queer, cyborg

Ian McEwan’ın Benim Gibi Makineler Romanında Erkeklerin ve Erkekliklerin İnsan Sonrası Deneyimleri

Abstract

Savaş sonrası bilimkurgu sık sık toplumda doğal olarak kabul edilen birçok normu yeniden gözden geçirmeye olanak yaratmış ve kabul edilen normların çeşitliliğini, özellikle de cinsiyet normlarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bu bağlamda, örnek olarak siberpunk, spekülatif kurgu geleneğindeki çeşitli cinsellikleri tanımlama ve analiz etme konusunda değerli bir kaynak sunmaktadır. Farklı ve uyumsuz cinselliklerin kuir olarak algılandığı heteronormatif toplum algısı, siborgları (ve cisimleşmiş yapay zekayı) zorunlu olarak kuir olarak görür ve siborg cinselliğinin akışkanlığını sorunsallaştırır ve Benim Gibi Makineler romanında Ian McEwan’nın siborgu bu tür bir toplum içerisinde erkekliği kaybetme korkusunu kışkırtır. Bu bağlamda, bu makalenin amacı, siborgların kuir ve akışkan cinselliklerini incelemek için Ian McEwan'ın Benim Gibi Makineler adlı romanına odaklanarak erkeklerin ve erkekliklerin insan sonrası deneyimlerini örneklendirmek ve insan sonrası cinsellikleri erkekliklerin eleştirel bir incelemesi perspektifinden araştırmaktır.

Keywords

Posthümanizm, erkeklikler, kuir, siborg

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