Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the Zombie as Post-human

Published in 2011 by Fordham University Press, Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the Zombie as Post-human emerged during a period of intense academic interest in the cultural significance of the undead. Edited by Deborah Christie and Sarah Juliet Lauro, the volume serves as a multidisciplinary collection of essays that analyze the zombie not merely as a horror trope, but as a complex metaphor for post-human anxieties in the twenty-first century.

The editorial vision behind this collection was to bridge the gap between popular culture studies and critical theory. By inviting contributors from fields such as sociology, film studies, and literature, Christie and Lauro sought to trace the shift of the zombie from its Haitian folklore roots to its status as a global symbol of consumerist decay and ecological collapse. The volume is recognized for providing a rigorous scholarly framework that helped legitimize zombie studies within humanities departments.