Why do humans make monsters, and what do monsters tell us about humanity? Five-day countdown to the paperback #PubDay for HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY from @[email protected] - available now for preorder! (The hardback is gorgeous, too.) 🧵/ 💙📚 🧪🗃 #ancient #medieval #earlymodern #histsci #politics
Monsters are central to how societies have defined "human" and the parameters of "normal." In HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY I show how people have defined the human in relation to everything from apes to zombies, and how they invented race, gender, and nations along the way. 2/
I braid together ancient gods and generative AI, Frankenstein’s monster and ET. In an age when corporations increasingly see people as obstacles to profits, this book traces the long, volatile history of monster-making to chart a better path for the future. 3/
Here are a couple of excerpts: first, one about #Renaissance science, art, and collecting: 4/ www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...

Humans and monsters | Folger S...
Humans and monsters | Folger Shakespeare Library

Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC.

And the opposite extreme: an excerpt from the "Machines" chapter, which outlines the moment in early 2019 when I realized that even the promise of what is now called genAI was subverting how people understood what it meant to be human: 5/ lithub.com/were-already...

We’re Already at Risk of Cedin...
We’re Already at Risk of Ceding Our Humanity to AI

Machines It’s 2019. I’m in a bar in Providence, Rhode Island, chatting with graduate students and researchers with PhDs. One of them, who holds a PhD in Latin American literature, observed approvin…

Literary Hub
Here's a podcast interview, if you prefer to learn more that way. There are many more examples on my website (link in bio): 6/ www.carasantamaria.com/podcast/sure...

Monstrous w/ Surekha Davies
Monstrous w/ Surekha Davies

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by British writer, speaker, historian, and monster consultant, Dr. Surekha Davies. They discuss Surekha’s new book, Humans: A Monstrous History. Follow Surekha: @surekhadavies

Talk Nerdy.
HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY is out in paperback on March 17 and is available to preorder wherever books are sold! Use UCPSAVE30 at the checkout for 30% off if you order directly from the press (choose UC Press from dropdown). 7/ www.ucpress.edu/books/humans...

Humans by Surekha Davies - Pap...
Humans by Surekha Davies - Paper

Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.

University of California Press
More info on ordering and more on All The Things: 8/8 www.surekhadavies.org/humans-a-mon...

Humans: A Monstrous History — ...
Humans: A Monstrous History — Surekha Davies

Surekha Davies