Zombie figures are everywhere as of late, but what is the origin of this particular undead figure? With which symbolic trappings have they been charged at different stages in history? And where does the oppositional and political potential of zombies lie? This ZfK issue examines the figure of the undead from a historical, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective, from the first Caribbean 'Zombi' text of the 17th Century to the Zombie Walks of Occupy Wall Street. The debate section includes critical discussion of a possible practices of 'epistemic disobedience'.

Gudrun Rath ist Kulturwissenschaftlerin an der Kunstuniversität Linz. Ihre Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich der Kolonial- und Verflechtungsgeschichte mit dem Fokus auf den Amerikas, der Wissensgeschichte sowie Kultur-, Übersetzungs- und Erzähltheorien.