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Princeton professor Joanna Picciotto was among the speakers who addressed attendees of the "Prehistory of the Posthman" conference Friday. The event continues through Sunday, June 8.

photo: Denise Applewhite

Conference explores the 'posthuman' era, June 6-8

The first session of a three-day conference titled "Prehistory of the Posthuman" attracted a standing-room-only crowd on Friday afternoon, June 6. Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Religion, the events continue through Sunday, June 8, in the seminar room at 5 Ivy Lane.

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Conference participants will discuss theories about the development of a "posthuman" era over the last 20 years amid advances in prosthetic, imaging and cloning technologies.

While scholars in several fields have argued that these developments have destabilized what had long been understood as the boundaries of being human, this conference offers an opportunity to reexamine the historical roots of these modern perspectives.

Speakers include Princeton faculty members Joanna Picciotto and Mark Hansen, assistant professors of English; Eileen Reeves, associate professor of comparative literature; and Blaise Aguera y Arcas, a researcher at the Scheide Rare Books Library. Other participants include scholars from the University of Notre Dame, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Utah, the New York Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt University, Indiana University and American University.

The conference was organized by Picciotto, who also directed it, and Julie Park, a research associate in the Center for the Study of Religion. It continues from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7; and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 8. The complete conference schedule is available online.