As Halloween approaches, many of us begin to think of its
various, frightful incarnations – the supernatural, monsters, aliens, and the
like. To be sure, the month of October
is littered with movies, television shows, books, and stories that evoke such
powerful imaginaries: from Ridley Scott’s 1979 movie, Alien, to Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein. However, after
Halloween Day ends, much of this chilling creativity rescinds into the depths
of popular culture. But, while science
fiction remains crucial to our Halloween imagination, it also thrives outside
of the Halloween season. In particular,
feminist science fiction has, for years, enjoyed relative popularity and posed
formidable questions surrounding women’s (and men’s) roles in society.
Feminist
science fiction has focused on a variety of topics, primarily, the social
construction of gender, political and social implications of reproduction,
gender inequalities, and the intersections of race and gender. Much like feminism, as a set of ideologies or
movements, feminist science fiction has also remained just as diverse and
fluid. For over a century, feminist
science fiction has taken on a multiplicity of forms and themes through a
number of authors. Notable writers
include Mary Shelley, Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, Joanna Russ, and many
more. Perhaps most importantly, feminist
science fiction has served as a bridge between theory and practice. The creations of feminist science fiction
authors directly represent the variety of goals envisioned through feminism and
gender studies: worlds that have moved beyond gender, worlds that have embraced
the diversity of desire and sexuality, and worlds that champion the rights and
equality of others. Of course, dystopias
are also critical to the broader feminist science fiction project. For example, Octavia Butler’s 1979 novel, Kindred, explores the complex and
troubling intersection of race and gender through a grim dystopic fantasy.
In any case, feminist science fiction writes and creates at
the center of theory and practice. Their
creations reflect desires, anxieties, traumas, and much more. However, it must be noted that these
‘fictional’ worlds oftentimes reflect and represent ‘nonfictional’ scenarios
and circumstances. Feminist science
fiction has provided critical opportunities to interrogate the complexities of
this world and pose important questions about it. Through these efforts, it is hoped that
readers and authors alike may cultivate new worlds and new ways of being.
I need to get busy reading! Of the books on the list, I've only read Frankenstein. Thanks for the recommended reading list (and the great blog post)!
ReplyDeleteThere is an interesting and subtle distinction between "feminism in science fiction" and "feminist science fiction." Does anyone care to discuss this?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I know what the difference is... care to elaborate?
ReplyDeleteWhy SURE! (Sorry for the late reply) I think that feminism in science fiction implies that feminism and science fiction are two separate and distinct entities, whereas feminist science fiction refers to a way of thinking, doing and imagining science fiction. The former makes it seem like feminists are one thing and science fiction writers are another, whereas the later implies that the two are interlinked and co-constituted. It's kind of like the difference between saying feminism in geography vs. feminist geography, does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteHmm...interesting. Thanks for the clarification. That makes me think about the name of our group. By supporting women in geography, we are specifically supporting the presence of women, which could be construed as different than promoting gender equality. While the rhetorical distinction from, say, Supporting Feminism in Geography, is important for inclusion of all the women, as obviously not all lady geographers work on gender issues, it could potentially be deterring non-women types from joining the group. Many men identify as feminists and not all women do. Is that problematic? How does that fit in with our stated goals?
ReplyDelete