Denis Villeneuve’s film Blade Runner 2049 can be read as a postmodern detective story that explores the indeterminacy of whether its protagonist, K, is human or replicant. I argue that it is... Show moreDenis Villeneuve’s film Blade Runner 2049 can be read as a postmodern detective story that explores the indeterminacy of whether its protagonist, K, is human or replicant. I argue that it is through the search for clarity between these two ontological categories that the film concurrently investigates how the aesthetic and ethical category of the humane becomes, or can become, separate and distinct from the ontological category of the human. Through this separation, I argue that the humane is characterized by the desire to establish and build connections of emotional and affective intimacy regardless of whether a sub- ject is, or can be, ontologically characterized as human. Furthermore, through my reading of the film’s engagement with artificial memory, I argue that this allows us to reconsider the relationship between the notions of authenticity and intimacy, wherein the latter is not necessarily founded upon the former, but rather rests on the embodied capacity to feel and be affected. The construction of the humane in Blade Runner 2049 consequently develops as a posthumanist critique of a humanist cultural imagination in which the humane necessarily would be the exclusive domain of the human. Show less
Purpose: Negative impact of cancer on sexuality is widely known. In adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYA; 15-39 years), treatment can even have a bigger impact as it may interfere with... Show morePurpose: Negative impact of cancer on sexuality is widely known. In adolescents and young adults with cancer (AYA; 15-39 years), treatment can even have a bigger impact as it may interfere with sexual development. AYAs report unmet psychosexual needs, like inadequate support from health care professionals (HCPs). The aim of this study was to determine preferences of AYAs regarding communication about intimacy and sexuality and examine discrepancies between AYA and HCP.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among AYAs and HCPs in the Netherlands.Results: Communication about sexuality was considered important by >90% of AYAs and HCPs. Of the AYAs, 41% did receive information from a HCP, 21% of them was satisfied with it. HCPs held physicians and nurse practitioners responsible to discuss sexuality; AYAs preferred nurse practitioners and sexologists. Main barriers to initiate a discussion on sexuality are "feeling of shame" for AYAs and "presence of a third party" for HCPs. Most AYAs would like to receive information about sexuality through a website (66%) or conversation with a HCP (64%) before start of treatment (64%). HCPs would be helped by written material (75%) and additional training (71%) to give to AYAs.Conclusion: AYAs do report unmet needs regarding adequate communication about sexuality-related issues. Discrepancy between patients and HCPs illustrates the importance of patient participation. Future research needs to focus on interventions to improve sexuality-related information provision and implementation of these interventions. Show less
