The Machine Anxieties of Steampunk

What is steampunk and why are people across the globe eagerly embracing its neo-Victorian aesthetic? Aesthetic program, literary genre, philosophy, and subculture, Steampunk embraces a universal vision that questions our relationship with time itself. This book provides a deep dive into the movement’s relationship to current philosophical trends and the relationship of the individual to the networked world. At once explanation, history, interpretation, and wide-ranging survey, the book brings in perspectives from cultural and literary studies, art history and aesthetics, to reveal the wide-reaching potential of Steampunk as genre and sensibility.

Connecting high and popular culture, this book demonstrates how Steampunk—egalitarian, inclusive, optimistic—presents a universal vision of the future. It provides readers with an understanding of significant issues in philosophical thought whilst relating these to the important role that visual culture plays in contemporary society. Offering fresh perspectives across various disciplines, it serves as an essential introduction to Steampunk for both enthusiasts and specialists, spanning fashion design, art history, contemporary philosophy, and Internet studies. In doing so, the book forges an illuminating path that will guide historians of the present well into the future.