TABOO - TRANSGRESSION - TRANSCENDENCE

In biology, a parasite is an organism that obtains nutrients from a host organism, which it is not genetically related to. The goal of the parasite is to maintain this relationship for survival, rather than to destroy the host.

In social contexts, "parasite" is often used to describe individuals or groups perceived as exploitative and useless. This social interpretation, while based on the biological concept, has a different structure and varies depending on the accuser. Social relations characterized by parasitism are oppositional, as those labeled as parasites can destabilize their group, contrasting with biological symbiosis, a point where we diverge from Michel Serres (2013).

Jeanette Samyn (2012) observes that the term "parasite" is becoming increasingly ambiguous in both social and biological contexts. Cultural studies often classify parasites as monsters, reflecting changes in cultural and social spaces. Monsters can represent marginalized groups denied human status for various reasons (Halberstam, 1995) and exist beyond human boundaries. The posthumanist perspective (Braidotti, 2013) reconsiders monstrosity, viewing monsters as symbols of otherness and hybrid identities (Haraway, 1992; MacCormack, 2012).

This presentation aims to analyze popular media representations of parasites and parasitism - across plants, animals, and humans - to explore the transformation of the parasite concept.

References

Asma, S.T. (2011). On monsters: An unnatural history of our worst fears. Oxford University Press.

Braidotti, R. (2013). Posthuman Humanities. European Educational Research Journal, 12 (1), 1–19.

Cohen, J.J. (1996). Monster culture (Seven theses). In J. J. Cohen (Ed.), Monster theory: Reading culture (pp. 3–25). University of Minnesota Press.

Halberstam, J. (1995). Skin shows: Gothic horror and the technology of monsters. Duke University Press.

Haraway, D. (1992). The promises of monsters: A regenerative politics for inappropriate/d others. In L. Grossberg, C. Nelson & P.A. Treichler (Eds.), Cultural Studies (pp. 295–337). Routledge

MacCormack, P. (2012). Posthuman teratology. In A.S. Mittman & P.J. Dendle (Eds.), The Ashgate research companion to monsters and the monstrous (pp. 293–310). Farnham: Ashgate.

Samyn, J. (2012). Anti-Anti-Parasitism. The New Inquiry, 18.

Serres, M. (2013). The parasite (Vol. 1). University of Minnesota Press.