Of Maps and Monsters: A Discussion of Being (Non)Human, or on the Topography of “Monsters” Medieval and Modern by Liliana Sikorska

Abstract

The concept of humanity has taken on new meanings in the era of posthumanist debate. Engaging both prehumanist and posthumanist perspectives, Liliana Sikorska strips away layers of cognitive mappings performed over hundreds of years in Western culture to expose in her recent essay the mechanisms that have exacerbated the East-West divide. While the majority of discussed texts come from medieval and Victorian literature and culture, it becomes obvious to the reader of her book that the issues she explores are still haunting the lives of people and nations worldwide today.