N. Katherine Hayles | Vibepedia

N. Katherine Hayles is a towering figure in contemporary literary criticism and cultural theory, renowned for her pioneering work at the nexus of literature, science, and technology. Born in 1943, Hayles initially pursued a career in research chemistry before transitioning to academia, earning a doctorate in English literature. Her seminal 1999 book, [[how-we-became-posthuman|How We Became Posthuman: Computers, Cybernetics, and the End of the Anthropocentric Age]], is a foundational text in [[posthumanism|posthumanist studies]], fundamentally altering how scholars understand the evolving relationship between humans and technology. Hayles has consistently explored the impact of digital technologies on humanities research and is a leading authority on [[electronic-literature|electronic literature]], introducing its concepts to a generation of scholars and writers through her influential courses and writings. Her extensive career, spanning over five decades, has cemented her reputation as a critical voice examining the profound implications of our increasingly technologically mediated existence.