Understanding ‘Anukul’ in the Post-humanistic Perspective

Abstract

This paper explores Satyajit Ray’s short story Anukul through the lens of post-humanist theory, focusing on how the narrative challenges traditional humanist frameworks and redefines the boundaries of personhood, agency, and ethics. Drawing on the works of Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, and N. Katherine Hayles, this study employs close textual analysis to examine Anukul’s representation as a culturally informed, morally aware, and emotionally intelligent figure who surpasses his human counterparts in ethical conduct and self-awareness. Centring on a humanoid robot named Anukul, the story engages with core post-humanist themes such as Hybrid Identity, Non-human Ethical subjectivity, Decentring of the Human, Critique of Anthropocentrism, Posthuman Empowerment, Redefining Work and Intelligence, Machine Consciousness, Robot as a Political Being, and Posthuman Ethics. The analysis highlights how Anukul’s behaviour disrupts anthropocentric hierarchies and reveals the limitations of human characters bound by prejudice and control. By framing Anukul’s final act of violence as both narratively justified and ethically complex, the story raises critical questions about machine autonomy, moral judgment, and posthuman justice. Ultimately, Anukul emerges as a literary space where the contours of humanity, technology, and ethics are reimagined, offering a compelling commentary on our evolving relationship with intelligent machines.