Sketches the history of the belief that human beings are essentially their brains, and documents and critically discusses its contemporary forms across a range of contexts, including mental health, the human sciences, and literature and film.

The essays in this volume interrogate the problem of modern/colonial definitions of the human person and take up the struggle to decolonize such descriptions. Contributions engage work from various fields, including ethnic studies, religious studies, theology, queer theory, philosophy, and literary studies.

Technological failure or essential element of film aesthetics? From auteur cinema to horror to experimental film, Martine Beugnet shows the powerful effects blur can produce.