An erudite archaeology of intoxication, Narcoepics uncovers the political unconscious at work in the War on Drugs and the Western disavowal of the human need for ecstasy. Through close reading of cultural narratives, Herlinghaus dramatizes the effects of the transnational narcotics trade on the body politic of the Global South.
Nancy D. Campbell, Professor, Department of Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), USA An aesthetic and ethical response to the faulty cracks of neo-liberal globalization, Herlinghaus's highly theoretical approach and rigorous contribution to the field represents a provocative analysis tracing the emergence of a new genre in Latin American critical production. A must read for a rethinking of literary histories and North-South cultural realities.
Norma Klahn, Professor, Literature Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA If a modern perception of what is involved in the concept of 'aesthetics of sobriety' is needed to make us realize the vulnerability of the human mind and social behavior, Herlinghaus combines in this book philosophical reflections and the most current knowledge underlying the neurophysiological and neurochemical processes to explain how narcotics affect our state of consciousness. He differentiates between the ancient South American and Asian pharmakon of narcotics and the modern Western psychotropic industry, which profits from drug dealing. Narcoepics is the social expression of how narcotics affect the narrative of our society, and its link to the historical and geographical circumstances of individuals living under the stress of drug consumption, trafficking and the global violence derived from it.
Alicia Ortega, Professor of Biochemistry and Physiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).México