Chapter 10. Posthumanism and the city
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Sara Molpeceres
Abstract
In this paper, I discuss the underlying ideological conflict behind the concept of the “Smart City.” Sometimes naively praised and embraced as a great technological achievement, the Smart City is a very controversial concept, particularly if we interpret it within the context of posthumanist thinking, which discusses the ways in which technology may forever alter our daily lives, our bodies, our minds and, in the end, the whole identity of human beings.
Within the theoretical and analytical framework the constructivist rhetoric offers, my main goal in the paper will be a reflection on the discursive setting of both posthumanism and the Smart City, along with the analysis of a corpus of political discourses describing the “smart” concept regarding the city of Barcelona.
Abstract
In this paper, I discuss the underlying ideological conflict behind the concept of the “Smart City.” Sometimes naively praised and embraced as a great technological achievement, the Smart City is a very controversial concept, particularly if we interpret it within the context of posthumanist thinking, which discusses the ways in which technology may forever alter our daily lives, our bodies, our minds and, in the end, the whole identity of human beings.
Within the theoretical and analytical framework the constructivist rhetoric offers, my main goal in the paper will be a reflection on the discursive setting of both posthumanism and the Smart City, along with the analysis of a corpus of political discourses describing the “smart” concept regarding the city of Barcelona.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Chapter 1. Constructionism in historical writing 1
- Chapter 2. White, Burke and the “literary” nature of historical controversies 17
- Chapter 3. The discursive construction of reality in the context of rhetoric 41
- Chapter 4. Understanding social conflict 67
- Chapter 5. I am and I am not Charlie 83
- Chapter 6. Media representations of recent human migrations to the United Kingdom and other Western countries 107
- Chapter 7. Rhetorical analysis of health risk discourse 133
- Chapter 8. Critical analysis of an educational discourse practice 159
- Chapter 9. The (re)construction of gender roles in the genre of song 181
- Chapter 10. Posthumanism and the city 203
- Chapter 11. Discourses of social movements in Southern Europe 227
- Chapter 12. Cognitive frames, imaginaries and discursive constructions 249
- Epilogue 273
- Author index 285
- Subject index 289
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Chapter 1. Constructionism in historical writing 1
- Chapter 2. White, Burke and the “literary” nature of historical controversies 17
- Chapter 3. The discursive construction of reality in the context of rhetoric 41
- Chapter 4. Understanding social conflict 67
- Chapter 5. I am and I am not Charlie 83
- Chapter 6. Media representations of recent human migrations to the United Kingdom and other Western countries 107
- Chapter 7. Rhetorical analysis of health risk discourse 133
- Chapter 8. Critical analysis of an educational discourse practice 159
- Chapter 9. The (re)construction of gender roles in the genre of song 181
- Chapter 10. Posthumanism and the city 203
- Chapter 11. Discourses of social movements in Southern Europe 227
- Chapter 12. Cognitive frames, imaginaries and discursive constructions 249
- Epilogue 273
- Author index 285
- Subject index 289