An Integrated Study of Interdisciplinarity, Posthuman Theory, and Digital Humanities: An Interview with N. Katherine Hayles[

Journal of Digital Humanities and Science Fiction Studies

DHSFS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp. 1-21.

Print ISSN: 3105-1278; Online ISSN: 3105-1286

Journal homepage: https://www.dhsfs.com   

DOI：

An Integrated Study of Interdisciplinarity, Posthuman Theory, and Digital Humanities: An Interview with N. Katherine Hayles[1]

Jiang Yuqin, N. Katherine Hayles

Abstract: This interview with N. Katherine Hayles examines the interdisciplinary intersections of science, technology, and literature. Reflecting on her intellectual trajectory, Hayles discusses key concepts in her work, including posthumanism, digital humanities, and cognitive assemblages. The interview situates contemporary knowledge production within the dynamic interactions among science, literature, the humanities, and education. It further traces the development of posthuman theory, with particular attention to AI technologies, cognitive assemblages, and human-machine symbiosis. Building on Hayles’s insights, the discussion highlights how cognition is increasingly distributed across biological and technical systems, thereby challenging anthropocentric models of subjectivity. At the same time, it positions digital humanities as a mediating field that operate through transmediality, material metaphors, and digital simulation. From this perspective, digital environments are understood not merely as tools for representing knowledge but an active agents that reshape interpretive practices and modes of cultural production. Finally, the interview reimagines the future through the lenses of AI writing, non-human cognition, and science fiction. Hayles proposes new conceptual frameworks, such as “inverse awareness”, to better interpret the linguistic and cognitive capacities of large language models. In this context, Science fiction is reconsidered as a critical site for exploring technological futures and reconfiguring human-machine relations.

Keywords:N. Katherine Hayles; Interdisciplinary Studies; Posthuman Theory; Cognitive Assemblage; Digital Humanities

Author Biographies: Jiang Yuqin, Professor at the School of Humanities, Shenzhen University. Research Areas: Cultural Theoretical Studies, Posthumanism, Digital Humanities, and Science Fiction Studies. E-mail: jyq@szu.edu.cn. N. Katherine Hayles (Corresponding author) is the Distinguished Research Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University. Research Area: The Relations of Literature, Science and Technology in the 20^th and 21^st Centuries. E-mail: Katherine.hayles@duke.com.

题目：跨学科、后人类理论与数字人文的整合研究：与N·凯瑟琳·海尔斯的访谈

摘要：本访谈与N·凯瑟琳·海尔斯（N. Katherine Hayles）探讨科学、技术与文学之间的跨学科交叉关系。海尔斯回顾其学术思想的发展轨迹，阐释其研究中的关键概念，包括后人类主义、数字人文与认知集合体。本访谈将当代知识生产置于科学、文学、人文学科与教育之间动态互动的语境之中加以考察，并进一步追溯后人类理论的发展脉络，重点关注人工智能技术、认知组构以及人机共生关系。在海尔斯思想的基础上，该讨论强调认知正日益分布于生物系统与技术系统之间，从而对以人类为中心的主体性模式构成挑战。同时，数字人文被置于一种中介性领域之中加以理解，其运作依赖跨媒介性、物质隐喻与数字模拟。从这一视角来看，数字环境不仅被视为知识表征的工具，更被视为能够主动重塑阐释实践与文化生产方式的行动性因素。最后，访谈在人工智能写作、非人类认知与科幻文学的视域下重新想象未来。海尔斯提出诸如“反向意识”等新的概念框架，以更好地理解大型语言模型的语言与认知能力。在此语境中，科幻文学被重新视为探索技术未来并重构人机关系的重要批判性场域。

关键词：海尔斯；跨学科研究；后人类理论；认知组合体；数字人文

作者简介：江玉琴，深圳大学人文学院教授，研究方向：文化理论，数字人文，后人文主义与科幻文学研究。电邮：jyq@szu.edu.cn。N·凯瑟琳·海尔斯（通讯作者），加州大学洛杉矶分校的杰出研究教授，也是杜克大学的詹姆斯·B·杜克荣休教授，研究方向：20世纪和21世纪文学、科学和技术之间的关系。电邮：Katherine.hayles@duke.com。

 Received: 16 Mar 2026 / Revised: 13 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 16 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.