Posthumanism. A navigation aid for educators

While the implications of critical posthumanism for education are significant, it can present a difficult terrain for scholars new to this area of thought - its literatures are wide, cross-disciplinary, complex and in some instances (the relationship between posthumanism and transhumanism being one example) contradictory with itself. This can make it problematic for scholars and practitioners, in education and other areas, who are trying to unpick its implications for applied fields. This article looks back at some of the genealogies of posthumanism, offering what is hopefully an accessible way into understanding this complex area of thought for the growing numbers of scholars wishing to apply it to educational concerns. In doing so, it structures the existing, substantial literature on posthumanism into three broad categories - critical posthumanism, technological posthumanism and ecological posthumanism - briefly indicating how each of these might hold different kinds of explanatory power for educational practice and research. (DIPF/Orig.