Ghost in the Shell I & II: The mythology of Dolls & Cyborgs in Post-modern Japan By Alessandra Sabelli

Ghost in the Shell I & II Post-modernism –Images: reality vs. illusion –Body [entity]: visions of identity in Japan

Identity displacement in Japan Societal “Shocks” WWII: Defeat –National identity crumbles –Atomic bombs Rapid Industrialization –consumerist culture Economic bubble burst –Fall of Salary-men and “Wise” mothers scheme Hyper-Technology –consciousness

“The Other” - the place of dolls & cyborgs Japan and the conception of “The Other”: –Spirit world Shinto Animism –Western world –Cyborgs/robots & dolls Defining identity in relation to dichotomies De-familiarizing narratives

From Cyborgs to Dolls GITS – creating mythologies Cyborgs: towards a life on the Network Dolls: Return to the Real

Cyborgs (1 of 2) GITS - Progressive recreation of human body Implications for a “bodiless” life

Cyborgs (2 of 2) Embodiment of needs in Japanese culture –Memory –Repetition –Rebirth

Dolls (1 of 3) GITS - Dolls: “who” are they? –Created for entertainment –Suicide? –A new social class –Ugly dolls: metaphor for mass production and consumerism & identity

Dolls (2 of 3) High art and artisanship Animism Dolls as masks

Dolls (3 of 3) Origin of GITS doll design Hans Bellmer (1930s)– dismantling and rearranging female bodies

Dolls & Cyborgs in Japanese popular culture Mechanism(?) of popularization: Karakuri: the birth of the mechanical doll Admiration of Western technology Friendly robots: postwar manga representations Contemporary search for Realism

In between fantasy and reality

A possible future?

Why to like the category of “robot”? Anthropomorphizing robots Human response to “living” behavior world of fantasy and dreams psychodrama