"Postnaturalism and Monstrosity," a Lecture by Michael Mayne

Transphobia acutely represents the goal of conservative revanchism: a static social order. This vision of a world governed by orthodox social forms depends on a logic of naturalism trans people can never affirm. The work of Rivers Solomon, an African-American trans author of science fiction, features gender-variant characters who contest naturalism and its concomitant political logic. In my readings of these characters, postnaturalism—particularly when figured as monstrous—represents cogent positions against transphobia. “Postnaturalism,” environmental philosopher Steven Vogel argues, allows us to conceptualize our world outside of the binary between “nature” on one side and the “supernatural” or “artificial” on the other. I propose that trans studies can use the concept of postnaturalism to understand the ways trans identities threaten the legitimacy of orthodoxy by insisting on the ability of individuals to exceed social categories of identity in a praxis of being.

Michael Mayne is an Assistant Professor of English and the Chair of Queer Studies at Denison University. His research interests include literary studies, cultural studies, queer studies, and critical theory. Recent publications include "Formations Against Family Conscription in Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072,” “The Radical Novel as Trans Literature,” “Heterostalgia: The Rhetoric of Antifeminism,” “Daughter of Earth and Representations of the Social,” and “White Nationalism and the Rhetoric of Nostalgia."

English Department & Writing Program | Website | View More Events

Contact the organizers