Keywords:
anthropology, ethnography, metaverse, postmodernity, posthumanism
Abstract:
The concept of postmodernism includes a set of artistic, cultural, literary and philosophical movements, typical of the 70s, that extend to the present day. It allows defining, in various degrees and ways, the opposition, criticism or overcoming of trends typical of modernity. Although the concept was initially coined “in the postmodern condition” by the French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard. In anthropology it is understood as a cultural process that seeks to break with the dualistic explanations typical of structuralism, functionalism and others (Jameson, 1996). Authority and objectivity in ethnography are questioned, the linguistic turn is included for the construction of thought, and the recognition of different ways of knowing among human beings (Geertz, et. al., 2003; Lagunas, 2011). On the other hand, posthumanism is a philosophical current that questions the traditional notion of humanity by exploring the fusion between humans and technology. Examines the interdependence between humans and non-humans, promoting diversity and co-evolution. In posthumanism, authors such as Gilles Deleuze, Bruno Latour, Donna Haraway, Tim Ingold, among others, stand out, who challenge traditional conceptions of humanity, exploring the co-evolution between humans and technology. D) with his idea of agencement highlieleuze & Guattari (1980ghts the complex relationships between humans and non-humans. Latour (2007), through actor-network theory, analyzes the networks of actors (human and non-human) that make up society. Haraway (1985) with his "cyborgization" and the concept of "known beings." Tim Ingold (2011), from a more anthropological perspective, highlights the co-evolution between humans and environments, emphasizing the importance of the relationship with the natural world. Although the studies of postmodernity and posthumanism are not new topics in anthropology, their relationships deserve to be revisited, in light of the new technological developments that continue to appear day by day, such as the different artificial intelligence tools that make up this which has been called the metaverse. It has been considered as a "parallel reality" or a "global territory", in which different kinds of non-human entities live that act as a reflection of humanity, from which they nourish themselves to get closer and closer, to one of the components of what is considered the person: consciousness, mind or thought. In this symposium we propose to address, from an anthropological perspective, the metaverse, at a theoretical and applied, ethnographic and ethnological level, of these entities which we can consider postmodern and posthuman. We invite anthropologists and scholars in related fields to present papers that address topics such as: - Multiple, parallel and dispersed realities. - Global landscapes, spaces, territories and places. - Social networks and collaborative economies. - Organizations related to leisure and entertainment. - Anthropology of finances and money. - Trends, crises and redefinitions of democracies. - Belief systems and cultural processes. - New technologies for education.
