“Rage Against the Machine: Biopolitics and Violence Against Robots in Westworld”

3rd ASGRAD (Anglophone Studies Graduate Student Symposium), İzmir, Türkiye, 15 - 16 Aralık 2025, (Yayınlanmadı)

Rage Against the Machine: Biopolitics and Violence Against Robots in Westworld

This presentation focuses on the portrayal of violence against humanoid robots in Westworld

(1973) as an expression of pleasure, control, and power, along with its implications for broader

social structures. The film depicts a futuristic theme park where visitors indulge in violent

fantasies with robots, free from consequences. By viewing the park as a managed environment,

the study probes: what forms of violence are practiced, how are they normalized, and what do

they reveal about biopolitical governance when the governed are posthuman bodies? Using

Michel Foucault's theory of biopolitics, the analysis examines key scenes, including saloon

shootouts, repair bays, sexual encounters, and the morning “resets.” Through close reading, the

presentation develops a typology of violence within a posthuman context where simulated life is

structured and governed. Westworld demonstrates not only direct acts of aggression but also a

layered system: (1) sovereign spectacle, where guests wield absolute power without

consequences; (2) disciplinary management, which maintains robot obedience through

monitoring, repair, and reprogramming; (3) sexual commodification, treating robots as objects

and removing consent; and (4) structural impunity, justifying harm by framing robots as

property, with their suffering considered part of the park's business. These practices create beings

susceptible to domination but not protection, fostering a cycle that normalizes violence and

extends power over artificial life. The study offers an interpretive rather than empirical

perspective and focuses solely on the 1973 film, excluding later adaptations. Its primary

contribution is demonstrating how biopolitical logics migrate into posthuman realms. The

presentation provides a framework for considering current debates about AI, responsibility, and

rights as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into workplaces, entertainment, and

healthcare.

Keywords: Violence, biopolitics, Westworld, control, artificial life.