Replace Me

by Amber Husain

In this wide-ranging and intellectually lively essay, Amber Husain asks if our obsession with replacement is the very thing that is keeping the world in stasis. And, if so, with what might we replace our obsession with replacement? With references spanning the avant-garde art tec--futurism, and Effective Altruism, and taking in writers from Aristotle to Anne Boyer, Replace Me is a celebration of the possibilities for political transformation inherent in the act of embracing one's own replaceability.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Theory, Philosophy, Technology, Sociology, Politics

128 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing like reading a book about a terrible publishing company that's also where you used to work 🤠

[Kendra Loedige · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one wants to be replaced, but people tend towards replacing suboptimal parts of themselves or their lives.

I bought this book from a shop in Berlin, which seemed fitting with the reoccurring concept of the Ship of Theseus in the book, and the massive political and structural changes and patterns of rebuilding in Berlin over the past 100 years.

I really liked this essay and how Husain used so many different analogies and examples to discuss replaceability. It was thought provoking, tore up capitalism, ego, and a lot of working structures we’ve gotten used to, but I also found parts of it to be convoluted - overall a good read!

[Rita Nolasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não costumo ler essays, mas houve um dia que este livro me apareceu no "explorar" do instagram e fiquei interessada.

É um essay bastante interessante sobre a facilidade da substituição do ser humano, em toda e qualquer situação, desde a social à profissional. Husain utiliza muitas referências de livros, filmes, documentários e ainda fala um pouco sobre a sua experiência de vida com situações de RH.

Toca em assuntos até da questão das máquinas substituirem humanos, da forma como as mulheres são tratadas num mundo profissional, na questão de muitas das vezes terem de se submeter a certas situações para não serem trocadas, principalmente porque facilmente há outra mulher à espera da mesma oportunidade ou um homem para o lugar dela.

Acho que são pontos bastante interessantes e atuais, ideais um pouco de esquerda too much para mim, em certas passagens, mas em geral percebi claramente o ponto de vista e o que ela queria transmitir. Além disso, é super pequenino e lê-se super bem. Um bom livro para ficar a pensar!

[Leeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting! long essay roughly on idea of replaceability - my favourite parts were when husain utilised moments from her personal life (the HR stuff v v good) as it provided a little more of a thread to link the culture/theorists she discussed, which in the denser sections could get a little lost in itself from my pov. the final 10 pages or so on alexandra kollontai were excellent. recommend!

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

this made me go crazy ahhhhh I am completely replaceable capitalism is bad ahhhh

[Jack Mckeever · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. An endlessly captivating and wide-reaching essay about 'replaceability' and general life anxiety that draws on cinema, literature, philosophy, Greek mythology, the perceived 'rise of the machines', Brexit, Bolshevism, polyamorous relationships and pretty much everything else, as well as profound and often sad personal realities for Husain. Throughout it all she's as witty as she is fluid, and in vociferous denouncements of the far right, societal idiocy and contemplation of COVID-19, pleasantly righteous.

True enough, if you adhere to a particularly conservative disposition then 'Replace Me' as the antithesis to 'live to work' culture won't appeal to you (although you should read it anyway; it might change your mind). But crucially, Husain never forgets the human in all of this. The final two pages of the book attest to this in charmingly disarming fashion. First, with this passage:

'It is perverse to wallow in longing for the loss of a failed political reality, a failed relationship, a lost plastic coffee scoop. It is important, however, to maintain a grip on lost futures - the ideals to which thwarted political formations rightly aspired, the kind of love that a now-lost boyfriend made you believe was possible'.

And in its final sentence, which is simply:

'We are tired and sometimes hungry and have other things to do'.

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars ✨

[Phoebe Murphy-Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Palak Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amber Husain discusses replaceability in this disquisition using analogies that range from the myth of Sisyphus to polyamorous relationships. Since this is a very unexpected theme, I had no expectations when I started reading this book and I’ll be a romantic for one second and say that I let it paint the blank canvas of my mind. It has several moments of brilliance, especially in the parts where the author draws on her personal life. The rest of it, however, was kind of hard to get through. It refers to a lot of texts and delves into these references to an extent that takes away from the original point. Despite that, I think that it’s worth a read simply for the fresh insight it brings on the anxiety around being replaced. 3/5

[Shayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No one should be made into a robot or inspired to make themselves a god. We're tired and sometimes hungry and have other things to do."

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fear of being replaced is at the heart of employment. But it's also at the core of relationships and so much more.

Replacement doesn't seem to be about the replacement itself but the idea that you are not special and irreplaceable. Not being special underpins our desire to keep toxic jobs and lovers, but also our desire to other people and view them as replaceable.

In terms of jobs, being stripped of power and making decisions (having a mundane admin job with no control over your tasks) makes you replaceable. We are so desperate to be special and enjoy what we should be grateful for (there's always someone who can replace you), that we actually start to feel joy in completing a task.

The commentary on numbers and how we want to make ourselves indestructible, irreplaceable, and perfect, really hit me. As someone obsessed with numbers and a tendency to view everything from some sort of value, I loved that it made me think about how numbers are used to control us and also self-identify as perfect or correct. We want to replace parts of ourselves through surgery etc to make us irreplaceable but also for the illusion of control.

Lots of thoughts about autonomy and how replacement takes away your control and you're scared that someone else has power over you. You see replacements as less human or other. You see others as more replaceable. It's all about the illusion of control.

A lot more than just commentary on replacement in capitalism. A little book that gave me a lot of thoughts.

[Juliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is important […] to maintain a grip on lost futures”, writes Amber Husain in her extended essay Replace Me, forthcoming via Peninsula Press. It’s an exceptional piece of work, and it spans an impressive breadth of research and disciplines: across just 130-ish pages, Husain manages to move from an initial exploration of workplace malaise, the threats of imminent automation and replaceability, to questions of time (especially in the famed concept of time as money), sleep, Wellness culture, eating and productivity — Husain’s consideration of Huel and disordered eating is significantly modern. Husain notes that “The winning of freedom demands that we are able to detect our own desire for oppression.” From Hephaestus to Theseus’s Ship, Husain immerses herself in a plethora of references literary, philosophical and political in her demonstration that “One is not born, but rather becomes, replaceable.” Later, she moves on to “Great Replacement” conspiracy theories (with a segue through We Are Made Of Diamond Stuff, Isabel Waidner’s novel and one of my favourites), on to ideas of disease and immunisation, the immediacy of other bodies challenging individualism. In the end, the personal is inseparable from the public, through Capgras syndrome + feelings of romantic replacement. Husain’s conclusion is clear and galvanising, and will be valuable to its future readers.

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ultimate takeaway of this book is excellent: forget the idea of being special; embrace replaceability; not in the competitive, capitalistic sense that has been shoved down our throats throughout our lives, but in a revolutionary, loving way that acknowledges the needs and humanity of all.

The last ~10 pages or so were incredible, and really put a bow on this essay for me, but I struggled with the pages leading up to it. It felt like listening to an academic’s stream of consciousness — bouncing quickly between ideas, pointing to the outline of parallels between them without really bothering to flesh them out. Some thoughts were introduced in a flash and abandoned just as quickly.

[Jake Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

The passages on capitalism, xenophobia and self-optimisation were really interesting, but some sections that were more metaphysical went over my head a little. I might need a little more time with this to properly digest.

More generally, I loved the parts where the author brought in elements of her own experience. They were a nice break from some of the more source-heavy parts, which did occasionally feel like a slog to get through. Overall though, a thought-provoking essay with enough insight that I'll definitely go back to it in future.

[Kathryn LaMontagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got a lot out of reading this essay!!! One my my big takeaways was an idea to commit to repair instead of the western notion of “progress” that relies on replacement, disposability and distancing ourselves from the ways we are living organisms fully reliant on each-other and our environment.

This book/essay put into words a lot of feelings and ideas I’ve had floating around > though it was a little hard to follow at times without the awareness of all of the theory she’s referencing it was a great read.

[Vera Pernebjer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm!! Är lite ringrostig i att läsa på engelska eftersom jag har hållt mig till svenska för det mesta dom senaste åren så gjorde mig nog en björntjänst i att välja denna på engelska. Lite för mkt fackspråk för att jag skulle förstå allt men intressanta ämnen oavsett! Vill testa igen på svenska för att se hur jag tycker om den på riktigt. Tihi!

[Ilena Shadbolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short and amazing. Highly recommend. I wish I’d written it, there’s so much here I’ve been thinking about. Replacement is such a good topic to write about. She talks about being a replaceable worker, AI, Huel/meal replacement, great replacement conspiracies, Covid (in a not cringe way), open relationships, breakups, etc etc- all excellent

[Zak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled to enjoy this mini essay novel.

It is repetitive and too reliant on sources and already well trodden materials, that it feels as autonomous, robotic, distanced as the subject it is picking upon and trying to assuage and come to terms with and criticise.

[Abdo HASSAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

seemed more like a memoir utlized to illustrate an array of ideas about replaceability. Diverse in its exploration but lacking clear focus or a concrete theoretical scaffolding, it still managed to be am enjoyable read, eye-opening at times.

[Jennifer Irving · Rating 4 out of 5]

First ten pages were clear, last 10 on Kollantoi sublime, I drifted in and out of the middle, I need to reread asap

[zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some interesting take aways but sometimes the narrative strayed away from the path I was following.

[Alex Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good insights into modern work in publishing, and a few references to follow up, but overall I didn't get much out of this essay.

[Ad Ghanchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's glints of brilliant ideas wrapped up in a dense and sticky discourse. It was not an easy read, especially as someone who's not used to this form of essay. A collection of ideas loosely cobbled together which doesn't quite stick the landing at the end but provides some nibbles of food for thought.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent essay on the concept of replaceability. From the early parts, looking at the mythology around replacement and employment rights, through to a self/bodily replacement, a political replacement, and finally emotionally- this was fascinating. I don’t know if it is because i read this over a handful of lunch breaks, but sometimes I found myself a little lost on the train of thought, but it always pulled back. The final passage was phenomenal. Brilliant.