“They are here. They are everywhere. They are us.” – Posthuman Encounters in Samanta Schweblin’s Little Eyes (2018)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33182/joph.v4i2.3347

Keywords:

Human/non-human binary, Animal studies, Dystopia, Posthuman, Technology

Abstract

In Little Eyes (2018), the latest technological hype comes in the shape of cute, pet-like robots with cameras for eyes. These so-called kentukis are remotely inhabited and controlled by their human users via an online connection which is established at random. As the novel’s blurb - “They are here. They are everywhere. They are us.” - suggests, a kentuki is at once a familiar and unfamiliar creature and users’ experiences range from comforting to unsettling. The novel revolves around the theme of stranger danger and reports several uncanny encounters between humans and not-quite-humans in places around the world. The representation of these posthuman interactions in the novel remains ambiguous: Even though the potential to challenge or even transgress the human/non-human binary is addressed, the novel follows a classic dystopian narrative, which posits that it is not the technology itself which is inherently good or bad, it is us humans.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Downloads

Published

2024-09-10

How to Cite

Missler, H. “‘They Are Here. They Are Everywhere. They Are us.’ – Posthuman Encounters in Samanta Schweblin’s Little Eyes (2018)”. Journal of Posthumanism, vol. 4, no. 2, Sept. 2024, pp. 133-40, doi:10.33182/joph.v4i2.3347.

Issue

Section

Dossier: Posthuman Encounters - Desires, Fears, and the Uncanny