Transcorporeal Habitus: Adapting Sociological Embodiment to the Self-Conscious Anthropocene

Authors

Trevor Bleick, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Pete J. Capuano

Second Advisor

Tom Gannon

Third Advisor

Joy Castro

Date of this Version

7-2023

Citation

Bleick, Trevor. "Transcorporeal Habitus: Adapting Sociological Embodiment to the Self-Conscious Anthropocene," University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023.

Comments

A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, Major: English, Under the Supervision of Professor Peter J. Capuano. Lincoln, Nebraska: July, 2023

Copyright © 2023 Trevor Bleick

Abstract

The knowledge that humans have become a geological force necessitates a reimagining of what it means to be human. This thesis explores the ways in which bodies (both human and nonhuman) are represented within the self-conscious Anthropocene. This tripartite analysis, synthesized in the term ‘transcorporeal habitus,’ presents a framework through which we can better understand the ways bodies are entangled within a greater ecosystem. By drawing on the works of scholars in the fields of sociology, ecocriticism, and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) this thesis provides the groundwork for reimaging humanness in a period of immense change. Pierre Bourdieu and Stacy Alaimo together provide theoretical background for socialized and interconnected bodies, while Robin Wall Kimmerer offers a way to rethink nonhuman bodies and agency. Ultimately, this thesis challenges Homocentrism in the self-conscious anthropocene by decentering the human and recognizing ourselves as members of a greater ‘ecological we.’

Advisor: Peter J. Capuano