In recent decades, postmodern, poststructuralist, and social constructivist theories, and the methodologies and methods they have informed, have been criticized for focusing primarily on human actors, discourses, and actions. Simultaneously, so-called posthuman theories have been developed that decentralize the human, reject an unquestioned use of the dualism of human/nonhuman, and emphasize the importance of the material world in the production of the social. A key concern for current qualitative inquiry is to develop methods that contribute to the critique of human-centered analysis. In this article, I explore what we learn about the material world when we do not use verbal methods or written data but image details of moveable formations, which are made into silhouettes using Karen Barad’s agential realism. After introducing posthuman methodology I perform a silhouettes analysis focusing on old age. The intention is to demonstrate that silhouettes analysis makes it possible to gain new insights into the features of materialities of old age in a way that classical image analysis would not allow. In addition, silhouettes analysis produces an alienation effect that disturbs practiced viewing habits and assumptions, and can thus serve as a research tool promoting reflection. I conclude with a discussion of the advantages and limitations of silhouettes analysis for gerontological and posthuman research.

在最近几十年中，后现代，后结构主义和社会建构主义理论以及他们所学的方法论和方法被批评为主要关注人类行为者，话语和行为。同时，已经发展了所谓的后人类理论，这些理论分散了人类的权力，拒绝毫无疑问地使用人类/非人类的二元论，并强调了物质世界在社会生产中的重要性。当前定性探究的一个关键问题是开发有助于对以人为中心的分析进行批判的方法。在本文中，我探讨了当我们不使用口头方法或书面数据，而是使用可卡伦·巴拉德（Karen Barad）的特有现实主义将其制成轮廓的可移动形式的图像细节时，我们对物质世界的了解。在介绍了后人类方法论之后，我进行了针对老年人的轮廓分析。目的是证明轮廓分析可以以经典图像分析所不允许的方式获得对晚年重要性特征的新见解。此外，轮廓分析会产生疏远效应，从而干扰实践的观看习惯和假设，因此可以用作促进反射的研究工具。最后，我将讨论轮廓分析在老年医学和后人类研究中的优点和局限性。此外，轮廓分析会产生疏远效应，从而干扰实践的观看习惯和假设，因此可以用作促进反射的研究工具。最后，我将讨论轮廓分析在老年医学和后人类研究中的优点和局限性。此外，轮廓分析会产生疏远效应，从而干扰实践的观看习惯和假设，因此可以用作促进反射的研究工具。最后，我将讨论轮廓分析在老年医学和后人类研究中的优点和局限性。