Caietele Echinox, vol. 34, 2018: Posthumanist Configurations 181 Kwasu D. Tembo Among Them but Not One of Them: A Xenological Exploration of the Otherness and Power of DC Comics’ Superman Abstract: With a view to exploring the I. Introduction relationship between DC Comics’ Super- man’s engagement with posthumanism and hile the preceding and, most likely, science fiction, as well as posthumanism Wthe following decade will continue and planetarity, this paper will provide an to engage with the various onto-existential analysis of various xenological aspects of issues and debates surrounding the concepts of posthumanism, drawing on philosophi- the character, as an uncanny alien, in order cal, scientific, theological, anthropological, to explore a range of conclusions that can sociological, artistic, cinematic, literary and be drawn from my central hypothesis that theoretical frameworks and approaches in Superman is a character that is simultane- order to do so, the fundamental aspects of ously a representation of onto-existential DC Comics’ character Superman’s mythos familiarity as well as Otherness and power have been engaged with posthuman spec- that ultimately disrupts anthropocentric and ulation for nearly a century. With a view geocentric frames of reference. to exploring the relationship between the Keywords: Xenology; Superman; Power; character’s engagement with posthumanism Identity; Otherness. and science fiction, as well as posthuman- ism and planetarity, this paper will provide Kwasu D. Tembo an analysis of various xenological aspects of University of Edinburgh, Scotland the character, as an uncanny alien, in order [email protected] to explore a range of conclusions that can be drawn from my central hypothesis that Su- DOI: 10.24193/cechinox.2018.34.14 perman is character that is simultaneously a representation of onto-existential famil- iarity, as well as Otherness and power that ultimately disrupts anthropocentric and geocentric frames of reference. These will include providing a brief outline of contem- porary critical approaches to xenological 182 Kwasu D. Tembo speculation, so as to situate my own con- Another important term in this paper clusions about the character within a wider is “it”. Throughout this paper, I will refer stream of thought concerning onto-existen- to Superman as “it”. The convention of tial difference. I will then move on to dis- referring to the character using the pro- cuss one of the central shortcomings of the noun “he” already performs various kinds study of radical alterity, namely the prob- of reductive violence that I argue cannot lem of alien unknowability specifically, the be overlooked. “He” superimposes anthro- relationship between unknowability and pocentric codes, qualities and categories of Superman’s multiplicity of identities and being onto a being that is genetically and onto-existential instability. philosophically Other to them. As such, In science fiction studies and criti- the third-person neuter pronoun ‘it” is the cism, the term xenology refers to a hypo- most accurate and basic term with which thetical science whose goal is the study and to discuss any ontological or existential as- analysis of speculative extra-terrestrial so- pects of the character. The fact that Super- cieties as developed and inhabited by alien man is an alien is taken as a first principle life forms. As such, xenology finds its ter- here. It is an extra-terrestrial creature that restrial analogue in ethnology. Examples expresses many seemingly identical super- of xenological speculation in fiction and ficial traits with human beings that, how- literary criticism include: Fredric Jameson’s ever convincing, must not overlook the fact Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called of Superman’s essential difference from any Utopia and Other Science Fictions (2005); C. and everything human. Furthermore, “he”, J. Cherryh’s Foreigner series (1993-pres- when considered fully, only accurately re- ent); Donal Kingsbury’s The Moon Goddess fers to one third of the personae “worn” by and the Son (1986); and Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Superman/Kal-El,” namely “Clark Kent.” Planet of Exile (1966). Furthermore, relat- I have privileged the use of the pronoun ed to xenology is the term xenophilosophy, “it” in order to allow the being in question a which appears in the work of German In- greater degree of existential license, which dologist Wilhelm Halbfass. In Halbfass’s I argue better allows us to apprehend what cultural studies, his particular usage of the it is or can be without violently inscribing term xenology refers to the largely ethno- anthropocentric privileging and its various graphic study of how a culture positively or agendas onto the power it possesses and negatively defines and reacts to/against in- the Otherness that constitutes it. dividuals or groups outside, alien or Other My justification for discussing Super- to it. I have elected to use xenological spec- man by using the term “it” is due in part ulation as a strategy to explore the charac- to the underlying ethic of this thesis being ter’s diegetic power and Otherness because xenological. If, for example, I am to consid- such a strategy not only centralizes the fact er Jameson’s xenological approach to read- that Superman is an alien, but allows for a ing texts that feature alien beings seriously, fuller exploration of the tensions and in- then I think that the retention of the term teractions between extra-terrestrials and “it” is important because it highlights the human beings within the context of the fact that Superman is an alien. Regardless diegetic earths of the DC multiverse. of the methodological approach one brings A Xenological Exploration of the Otherness and Power of DC Comics’ Superman 183 to bare on the character, regardless of how in its noun form. As an adjective, the term complex or nuanced, it would not change means “stranger”, “wanderer”, and/or “ref- the fact that, diegetically speaking, the ugee”. Alternatively, in India and Europe: character is an alien. The combination of Perspectives on Their Spiritual Encounter this fact and my wish to maintain a care- (1981), Wilhelm Halbfass uses the term to ful sensitivity toward xenological apprais- describe the cultural study of ethnocentric als of Otherness would call for a strategy views held by different societies regard- that does not hem up the onto-existential ing different classes or types of foreign- complexities of the character by simply re- er. Within Halbfass’s Indological study, ferring to an alien being as “he” because it xenology refers to the ways that a given looks like a robust human man. To do so culture perceives, defines, and understands would simply be an inaccurate retention of individuals or cultures alien or Other to it. anthropocentric privileging, a privileging As such, Halbfass’ xenology is the that the central hypothesis seeks alterna- study of the various ways “self ” and “Oth- tives to. To be clear, I do not believe that er” are defined within a historical context referring to Superman as “it” objectifies of colliding cultures. According to Brian the character. On the contrary, I argue it Stableford’s Science Fact and Science Fic- draws attention to the fact that the char- tion: An Encyclopaedia (2006), xenology acter represents an interesting alternative can also be defined as “an associate concept to any human/inhuman dialectic precisely of exobiology, referring to a hypothetical because it is both in interesting and chal- science of extra-terrestrial, especially alien, lenging ways. society” with “analogical and extrapolative relationship to ethnology which is similar to that between exobiology and biology.”1 II. A Brief Outline of Xenological Similarly, Robert A. Freitas Jr.’s Xenology: Speculation An Introduction to the Scientific Study of Ex- n order to parse the concepts of Super- tra-terrestrial Life, Intelligence, and Civili- man’s disruptivity in terms of power and zation (1979) provides an exhaustive out- IOtherness xenologically, which I argue also line of the principles of xenology, including necessarily involves identity, I will open the following interests and sub-disciplines: this chapter by providing an overview of xenological speculation. The term “xenol- the history of the idea of extra-ter- ogy” has been used variably to describe restrial life; comparative planetology, and discuss the tension between concepts stars, and galaxies; xenobiology (defi- including difference, Otherness, and the nition/origin of life, exotic biochemis- interaction between the known and the tries, and possible alien bioenergetics, unknown, be it abstract or uncannily fa- biomechanics, sensations, reproduc- miliar. In A Greek-English Lexicon (1968), tion, and intelligence); extra-terrestrial Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott civilizations (energy sources, biotech- state that the terms “xenology” derives nology, interstellar travel, alien weap- from the Greek word xenos, meaning “for- ons, planetary and stellar engineering, eign”, “alien”, “strange”, and/or “unusual” xenosociology, and extra-terrestrial 184 Kwasu D. Tembo governments and culture); interstellar collaborative outcomes for humanity fol- communication techniques; and the lowing such contacts. Harrison and Dick sociology, legal issues, and appropri- go as far as to suggest that such encounters ate interaction protocols pertaining to might result in an advanced extra-terrestri- First Contact.2 al civilization imparting equally advanced knowledge to humankind in areas cur- There