Concluding Thoughts on Monsters and the Monstrous

Susanne: Whether it's humans who behave in a way that's considered to be inhumane, or unfamiliar figures who by the fact of their existence question someone's view on reality – the monsters in this book are threats. They suggest future harm, either to an individual or a way of life. They produce xenophobia, a fear of the Other, as well as the term's contemporary: xenomania, an inordinate attachment to that which is other. But what the authors in this volume have showcased more than anything else is that the monster as a concept is a powerful political and analytical tool. Though the study of monsters may evoke associations of the fantastical, the ‘non-serious’, or the un-real, it is, in fact, the study of humanity, of society and psychology. The study of the monstrous, therefore, is interdisciplinary by default. But aside from the more obvious topical and methodological qualities that run through this book, what are the main ideas that people should take away from this volume?