Volume VI Special Issue VII October 2026

Name of Author : Selva Priya S N, Dr. S. Vahitha

Title of the paper : Decentring the Human : Ecological Interdependence in Jeff VanderMeers Borne

Abstract: Jeff VanderMeers Borne presents a powerful vision of a posthuman future in which humans, animals, biotechnology, and environment are deeply interconnected. Set in a post apocalyptic world shaped by environmental destruction and uncontrolled scientific experimentation, the novel analyses the conventional belief in human superiority and presents identity as fluid , relational , and constantly evolving. The paper examines the character Bornes development which destabilizes traditional distinctions revealing subjectivity as an ongoing process of becoming rather than an exclusively human possession. The paper argues that decentring the human subject challenges the idea that survival depends mainly on human control and domination. Instead, it shows that survival is shaped by cooperation, mutual dependence, and relationships between humans and other forms of life. The human-centered thinking often resulted in the exploitation of nonhuman life and environmental degradation. Drawing on Cary Wolfes critique of anthropocentrism, Rosi Braidottis concept of human subjectivity, and Donna Haraways emphasis on making kin, the study questions the human exceptionalism. Ultimately, the paper challenges the supremacy of the human and calls for an ethics of coexistence beyond anthropocentric hierarchies.

Keywords : Posthumanism, Anthropocentrism, Ecological Interdependence, Biotechnology, Subjectivity.

DOI :

Page Number : 43-46