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How does society create the 'living dead'? What is the state of death you know about?
With the continuous changes in society, the manipulation of human nature seems to be becoming more and more obvious. However, behind this transformation, there is a state of "living dead" that people are not easily aware of.What is the Living Dead?This is an almost weird concept, and in fact, it reflects the heavy oppression and demerit that some people suffer in the social, political and economic system.In recent sociological theory, this phenomenon is called "Necropolitics". This political power not only hinders the survival opportunity of some people, but even causes them to live on the brink of death and enter a kind of inability to live for themselves. status.
The concept of death power politics
The concept of death right politics is deeply explained by Achille Mbembe, who sees it as a way for social and political forces to manipulate people's life and death.He believes that under this situation, the living conditions of certain groups of people are forced to experience the struggle between death and survival and become "living dead".This political approach is not only reflected in racial discrimination, but also in the presence of these groups is significantly degraded to the point of getting used to loss.As Mbenbe pointed out:
"The price of life is systematically depreciated, which has caused people of certain ethnic groups to frequently face loss."
From biological power to death politics
The politics of death is often seen as an extension of Michel Foucault's theory of Biopower.Biopower refers to the control of social and political power over people's lives, while Mbenbe's death politics extends this control to the power of death, revealing how social mechanisms push certain groups to the margins and even toward death.Mbenbe mentioned that under this power structure, the boundaries between resistance and suicide, sacrifice and redemption, martyrdom and freedom have become blurred.This is not simply the right to kill, but the control of personal life, which forces some groups to live in the shadow of death.
The Living Dead: Social and Political Death
The living dead are not only creatures that cannot be lived, but also a state of social and political death.Mbenbe pointed out that when an individual cannot control the boundaries of his life independently, he cannot truly count as "living".These people are deprived of their autonomy and freedom of survival, forming an existence at the junction of life and death.We can see that in today's society, some groups such as immigrants, refugees and restricted ethnic minorities all show this characteristic.
From love death politics to chronic death
The view of chronic death proposed by cultural theorist Lauren Berlant complements Mbenbe's theory.According to Berrant's observation, only specific groups are marked as "wearing objects", and the ordinary repetition of life is closely linked to the process of death.This situation is extremely common in contemporary society, and many changes in social structure have forced some people to face decreasing opportunities for life, ultimately becoming victims of institutionalized injustice and oppression.
Different forms of death politics
The politics of death rights are reflected in various social structures.Through slavery, apartheid, and the colonial history of Palestine, Mbenbe revealed how different forms of death politics eroded the basic existence of human beings.In addition, modern prison system and gun violence are also manifestations of death politics.In these systems, the life state of some people is ruthlessly deprived of, forming a strong social inequality.
The politics of death related to gender and diversity
On the issue of gender and sexual orientation, the concept of “queer death politics” introduced by Jasbir Puar analyzes this new perspective.Puar explores the great protests of lesbians in the post-911 era and the current queer community’s complicity with Islamic fear.Her research points out that society still has huge sorting and prejudice in the perception of death between groups with different colors and diverse genders, creating an excluded death right.
The politics of death represents not only racial but also lifestyle exploitation, which forces certain groups in society to survive under the influence of hidden deaths.This situation is a reflection of the deep structure of human society. It not only poses a threat to individuals, but also poses hidden dangers to future social relations.Are people aware that such a state of survival is providing an irreversible life trajectory for some people?
