Last week, I decided to focus on the theme of cyberpunk and body modification for my research. This week, I plan to search for relevant literature on google scholar to gain a deeper understanding of this field.
Before move into the literature search, I also did some online research. Through this, I discovered that there are significant differences between Western and Japanese cyberpunk in many aspects.
American style cyberpunk
Neuromancer, Blade Runner, The Matrix
Dystopia, corporate dominance, individual rebellion, hacker culture
Technology brings alienation and oppression, often portrayed negatively
Machines and humans are in opposition, with a focus on individual freedom
Criticism of capitalism, tendencies toward liberalism
Japanese style cyberpunk
Ghost in the Shell, Akira, BLAME
Cyberspace, identity, collective consciousness, fusion of humans and machines
Technology is part of social progress, but raises philosophical questions
Human-machine fusion, exploring the philosophical question: Who am I
Metaphors for collectivism and state control
American cyberpunk always portrays the negative effects of technology, while Japanese cyberpunk makes people think about the deep relationship between people and technology.
In American cyberpunk, the idea of humans vs. machines and the dystopian world often comes from people’s distrust of big companies and capitalism. This sense of crisis makes people feel the gap between social classes, leading to one of the most classic cyberpunk themes: “high tech, low life“ Rich people live in luxury and breathe clean air, while the poor can’t even afford a meal.
You can also see this in Arcane. For example, the council members live in Piltover, a city full of flowers and sunlight. But the pollution from their industries sent through pipes down to the lower city, Zaun.
Bibliography:
Cavallaro, D. (2007) Cyberpunk and cyberculture: Science fiction and the work of William Gibson. London: Continuum.
Ertung, C. (1970) Bodies that [don’t] matter : Feminist cyberpunk and transgressions of bodily boundaries, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi – EFD. Available at: https://kutuphane.dogus.edu.tr/mvt/pdf.php?pdf=0012480&lng=0 (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Goicoechea, M. (2008) ‘The posthuman ethos in cyberpunk science fiction’, CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, 10(4). doi:10.7771/1481-4374.1398.
Gomel, E. (2018) ‘Recycled dystopias: Cyberpunk and the end of history’, Arts, 7(3), p. 31. doi:10.3390/arts7030031.
Haraway, D.J. (2018) Cyborg manifesto. Victoria, British Columbia: Camas Books.
Fekete , J. (1992) Science fiction studies, John Fekete- The Post-Liberal Mind/Body, Postmodern Fiction, and the Case of Cyberpunk SF. Available at: https://www.depauw.edu/sfs/review_essays/fek58.htm (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
McCarron, K. (1995) ‘Corpses, animals, machines and mannequins: The body and cyberpunk’, Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk: Cultures of Technological Embodiment, pp. 261–274. doi:10.4135/9781446250198.n15.
Sato, K. (2004) How information technology has (not) changed feminism and japanism: Cyberpunk in the Japanese context, Comparative Literature Studies. Available at: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/174105/summary (Accessed: 15 February 2025).