ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ІДЕНТИЧНОСТІ В ПОСТГУМАНІСТИЧНІЙ АНТРОПОЛОГІЇ: ТЕРМІНОЛОГІЧНИЙ АСПЕКТ

Abstract

The actualization of the problem of fluid and multiple identities inherent in the world of "liquid modernity" (Z. Bauman) was reflected in Western science of the last third of the twentieth century. At the same time, with the spread of trans- and posthumanist ideas in the twenty-first century, it is acquiring new, "non-human" horizons. The analytical article is devoted to the problem of the methodology of research and designation of alternative human identities in posthumanist anthropology. The terminological apparatus for the study of non-human identities is proposed for the first time in the post-Soviet area of humanities. The methodology of the study within the disciplinary field of Posthumanist anthropology (Transhumanist Studies, Posthuman Studies) is primarily based on the conceptual foundations of poststructuralism. In order to explicate the actual meaning of the terms "Other", "non-human", "non-anthropomorphic", "otherkin" in the scientific works, structuralism (the method of binary oppositions) was also used to find out the axiological connotations inherent in the concept of posthuman; as well as methods of semantic, terminological, and discourse analysis. The main generalized terms that mark the non-human identity of biological humans in scientific discourse are identified – "Other", "non-human" and "otherkin". The semantics of these terms is explicated, their short definitions are offered, the specifics and range of their use in foreign posthumanist anthropology are revealed. It is proposed to introduce the terms "non-human" and "otherkin" in the Ukrainian scientific discourse as the ones that most accurately reflect the wide range of individual experiences of people with other-than-human identities. It is proved that these terms can become the main generalizing tool for the study of non-human subjects and alternative identities in the Ukrainian science. It is argued that in posthumanist anthropology, poststructuralist research methodology should be preferred as more objective than structuralism and the method of binary oppositions. Key words: cultural studies, transhumanism, posthumanism, other-than-human identities, Other, otherkin, non-human, terminology, binary oppositions, structuralism, poststructuralism.