Contested Bodies and Emerging Selves: Anthropology at the Crossroads of Identity, Technology, and Meaning
Contested Bodies and Emerging Selves: Anthropology at the Crossroads of Identity, Technology, and Meaning

Summary/Abstract: This editorial introduces the twenty-third edition of the DIALOGO International Conference and the corresponding volume, Contested Bodies and Emerging Selves: Rethinking Anthropology in an Age of Identity Revolutions. Bringing together contributions from anthropology, philosophy, theology, education, medicine, psychology, literary studies, and cultural analysis, the volume explores the profound transformations affecting contemporary understandings of personhood, embodiment, identity, memory, and social belonging. The papers examine themes ranging from gender debates, medical enhancement, artificial intelligence, and virtual personhood to cultural memory, refugee integration, sustainability, spirituality, and educational normativity. Rather than seeking a single answer to the question of what it means to be human, the contributors collectively demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary dialogue in addressing the complexities of a rapidly changing world. The volume argues that the future of humanity will depend not only on technological and scientific developments but also on the capacity to sustain meaningful forms of reflection, responsibility, community, and ethical discernment. Ultimately, the essays gathered here invite readers to reconsider humanity as an ongoing project shaped through dialogue, memory, vulnerability, and shared efforts to negotiate the challenges of an evolving age.

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