Journal article
We Dream You Up: Psychedelic Provocations to the Synthetic Sacred
Interconnections : journal of posthumanism = Interconnexions : revue de posthumanisme, Vol.3(2), pp.32-50
09/12/2024
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Abstract
This interdisciplinary research paper recombines Indigenous knowledges, postcolonial and new materialist theory, as well as fictional vignettes and drawings, to critically examine the biological synthesis of psilocybin through yeast. Against the backdrop of the “psychedelic renaissance” and consensus in the synthetic biology industry that generally, edited genes are “beyond containment”, the study addresses emergent ethical, cultural, and ecological implications of this nascent technology. The article charts potential ramifications of synthetic fungi on the intertwined relationships among space, time, and matter. Speculative narratives serve as conduits for exploring the multifaceted dimensions of non-human/human relationships and engage postcolonial perspectives on the commodification of beings traditionally embedded in Indigenous cultural practices. New materialist perspectives also inform discussion of matter’s agency and its entanglements with human interventions. This research contributes to ongoing onto-epistemological and psychedelic discourses, posing critical provocations to the ethical boundaries of synthetic biology frontiers, encouraging nuanced approaches to this new field.
Details
- Title
- We Dream You Up: Psychedelic Provocations to the Synthetic Sacred
- Creators
- Keith Williams (Author) - Athabasca UniversityMichelle Braunstein (Author) - Southern Cross University, Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples
- Publication Details
- Interconnections : journal of posthumanism = Interconnexions : revue de posthumanisme, Vol.3(2), pp.32-50
- Identifiers
- 991013231813602368
- Academic Unit
- Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article