sorry, i realised I forgot to post what question i am addressing!
Chosen question: If popular culture has taken up the cyborg as a figure of progress, what happens to the way race is represented? (this question can be applied to any form of pop
culture)
Chosen referencing style: Oxford referencing
hope that leaves things a bit clearer!
Monday, September 13, 2010
KIM FISHER'S WEBLIOGRAPHY!
SOURCE ONE
Cong-Huyen, A Gonzalez, E, “Race, Ethnicity, Diaspora and Others”,Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory, 2010, retrieved 14 July 2010, http://www.hastac.org/forums/hastac-scholars-discussions/race-ethnicity-and-diaspora-digital-age>
This interactive site states that although the Internet was initially intended to be a purely democratic forum, where people could participate regardless of age, race, gender and other socio-economic barriers, this has been found not to be true. The hosts of the site, Anne Cong-Huyen and Edward Gonzalez, believe that society is far from being post-racial; even in the digital realm we are not “colour blind”. This site has been useful as it has links and contributions from a range of individuals, all with unique and at times conflicting views on the idea of race and its representation in cyberspace. Also, each of these contributions identified different facets of race in different realms of digital space, and the culmination of these different avenues of thought was highly beneficial for my research.
This is run by HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory), and is identifies “researchers, academics or simply interested individuals” to participate in its blog-style forum. The academic nature, the organisation it is run through and the naming of the hosts at the bottom of the webpage make it a reputable forum for the intense consideration of the ideas and views posted on its walls.
SOURCE TWO
Therian, Erika. “The Skin You’re In”, New World Notes: Wagner James Au Reports First-Hand from Second Life, >span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"2006, retrieved 20 August 2010, <http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2006/02/the_skin_youre_.html>
This blog, “The Skin You’re In” was posted by Erika Therian, a user of Second Life (an interactive virtual reality), and describes the way in which she was treated when her avatar wore the ‘skin’ of an African-American woman while playing Second Life from a period of 3 months. It gives first hand account of the reactions of other avatars to her new virtual identity. Although these reactions were in response to her virtual skin, the reactions afforded to her mimic racist sentiments expressed in the real world.
This source has been beneficial to my research as it gives a first hand account of the nature of explicit online racism, and the translation of racism and racial assumptions from more traditional real life situations onto the medium of cyber interface. For me, this is an example of the dismantling of the utopian ideals of the cyber realm as a race free zone.
SOURCE THREE
Wilkerson, A, “Ending at the Skin” Hypatia, vol. 12, iss. 3, 1997, pp. 164-173, retrieved 24 August 2010, Wiley, < http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1527-2001.1997.tb00010.x/full>
Bisexual feminist Abby Wilkerson writes this article “Ending at the Skin”. Wilkerson believes that Donna Haraway’s description of the cyborg “evades the very issues of race and sexuality which it seems to be addressing” and discusses the representations and ideas of the cyborg from the perspective of a bisexual individual. This article has been helpful in my research as it has cast doubts on what I had believed to be a concrete definition of the racial nature of the cyborg afforded by Harway. By challenging the racial nature of the cyborg this article has taught me to be far more critical when reading other texts that draw upon an assumed nature of a cyborg’s ‘race’.
SOURCE FOUR
Bostic, A. I, ‘Seeing Cyborg Through the Eyes of Popular Culture, Computer-Generated Imagery, and Contempory Theory’, Leonardo, vol. 31, no. 5, 1998, pp. 357-361, retrieved 4 August 2010, jstore, <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1576595?seq=1>
This article explores the ideas of the many different manifestations of cyborgs that exist within popular culture, and the impact of capitalism upon the development, limitations and representations of the cyborg. The idea of the cyborg ‘hero’ or individual narrative, as opposed the cyborg ‘collective’ narrative that is open expressed in mainstream pop culture, such as popular movies and television, is explored thoroughly. It has been highly useful during the course of my research as it examines a plethora of forms of popular culture, from artwork to film and television. The reason for this is as Bostic states “If we consider that one of the primary functions we ascribe to visual form is to represent the culture that gave meaning to it, then it is altogether fitting that we survey a vast array of visual expressions that our culture produces.”. Finally, I have found this article particularly useful in my research as it examines the reasons why we have represented the cyborg in many facets of pop culture as seeking perfection and improvement, which concludes in Bostic promoting the need to “interrogate the self and our understanding of the human condition”.
SOURCE FIVE
Armstrong, R, “Cyborg Film Making”, Cybersociology Magazine, 1999, retrieved 24 August 2010, <http://www.cybersociology.com/files/5_cyborgfilmmaking.html>
The article “Cyborg Film Making”, contributed to Cybersociology Magazine by Dr. Rachel Armstrong, discusses the role and depiction of the cyborg self in cyborg art and cyborg filmmaking. The article is highly focused on the advances in representation of the cyborg “in a time where the perception of the relationship between the natural body and the ‘artificial’ one has been accelerated by developments is medicine and technology”. The idea of gender is highly focused upon throughout the article, and highly rejects the idea of a hetro-normative cyborg self-identification. This rejection is displayed through her description of the queer cyborg, primarily expressed through the medium of modern art. While this article was not explicit upon the ideas of cyborg representations of race, it was highly detailed in the pop culture of modern art and the representation of the cyborg within this culture. The article was useful in my research in terms of exploring representations of cyborgs in different mediums of pop culture. In addition, it aided exploration of the idea of the ‘artificial’ cyborg as a race separate from the ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ human race, and the idea that a new form of racism could emerge, no longer based on skin colour or ethnic origin but in the degree to which an individual is ‘natural’ or ‘mechanic’.
Webliography
If popular culture has taken up the cyborg as a figure of progress, what happens to the way race is represented?
In researching this topic I found a wide range of material from various sources including -journal articles, a book review and an online article. In my definition of pop culture I include film, music and literature- all articles focus on either one of these or a combination of all. I have placed the material in order of usefulness using the criteria of firstly relevance to the topic, second credibility and lastly-interest value!
1.The Mulatto Cyborg: Imagining a Multiracial Future-LeiLani Nishime
Nishime’s article provides an analysis of cyborg cinema and investigates the way that the ‘mulatto cyborg’-where a cyborg is neither more so human nor machine but an equal combination of both-is a positive vision for a multiracial future. She argues that ‘If, the anxieties and fantasies of a culture are projected onto the image of the cyborg, then the cyborg must be read as a powerful metaphor for the historical bogeyman of contamination—racial mixing.’ Nashime uses examples of Hollywood cinema featuring cyborg characters and makes a division between those characters considered as ‘bad cyborgs,’ (Alien, Terminator) ‘good cyborgs’ (AI, Blade Runner) and ‘mulatto cyborgs’ (RoboCop) and the way in which the differences between the three categories provide contrasting examples that can be compared to representations of race. ‘If we read the cyborg as a parallel construction of mixed-race representations, then RoboCop offers a view of multiraciality that does not fall back on retrograde visions of biological racial differences…promising a future of mixed-race subjectivity.’
Written in 2005, I found this article particularly useful and relevant to the topic, and Nishime brings up some interesting points on the comparison between cyborgs as a representation for the future of people of mixed race. I trust her research as her role as an associate professor of American multicultural studies at a US university is credible, however in comparing to other articles I have found on this particular topic it was too specific to the theme of people of mixed race/ethnicity and it was beneficial to read further to gain some other insights into the future for specifically raced people as well as mixed.
2. Supa Dupa Fly: Black Women As Cyborgs in Hiphop Videos-Steven Shaviro
This article illustrates the way two black female hiphop artists- Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, are embracing the figure of the cyborg to help them ‘tell stories of black female empowerment, in the face of deeply engrained racism and sexism.’ Unlike Nishimes vision of a multiracial cyborg it singles out black women and Shavrio has chosen two songs and their clips performed by black women hip hop artists who he says are ‘both concerned with the technological transformation of the black female body: its mutation into a cyborg.’ These videos are both ‘science fiction in form and in content’ and ‘they ask us to think about how we are being transformed, as a result of our encounters with the new digital and virtual technologies. Or better, they raise the question of who we are—as beings whose very embodiment is tied up with technological change, as well as with ascriptions of gender and race.’
I found this article very relevent to the question and a good contrast with the previous article by Nishime especially since Shaviro’s article was written at the same time also in 2005. Rather than suggesting the cyborg is capable of representing mixed race his detailed analysis compares black and white representations (he makes much reference to Madonna in comparison) and argues that these women are using the figure of the cyborg to empower themselves as being specifically black women.
3.Janelle Monáe: A New Pioneer of Afrofuturism-John Calvert.
In this article from The Quietus.com-a UK music review site- author John Calvert uses the example of singer Janelle Monáe also as a symbol of a black female cyborg. He argues that her style of ‘Afrofuturist’ music ‘brings to the fore perceptions that African-Americans have always symbolically been human and non-human: In the era of slavery, people of African descent were human enough to live and love and have culture, but were nonhuman to the extent that they were 'machines', labour for capitalism…By manipulating these symbolic references of past and future, a kind of third entity emerges…described as a cyborg identity,’ Calvert discusses Monáe's combination of historically 'non-black' genres of rock, electronic, cabaret and folk music allowing her to transcend ideological borders. He notes that ‘what strikes you most on (her new album) is her impossibly malleable voice which toggles though so many different tones…as to be almost machine-like; or, at least, non-human.’
This article is extremely up to date, it was posted just a week ago and to add to its currency includes a posting time. This is not a scholarly piece of writing and its credibility is questionable, however the themes the author brings up are still relevant and The Quietus.com makes a point of noting all of its publications are written by are some of the best music writers who also work for other well known newspapers/magazines. I found it a very useful insight into the development of a black cyborg figure and a perfect follow on piece to read after taking in the ideas from Shaviro’s research of black female musicians in ‘Supa Dupa Fly.’
4.Analogy and (White) Feminist Theory: Thinking Race and the Colour of the Cyborg Body-Malini Johar Schueller
Johar Schueller’s article provides readers with a detailed analysis on the topic of feminism as interpreted by different racial backgrounds. While her argument focuses on her belief that ‘while women of colour theorize about a particular group of women, many white feminists continue to theorize about gender/sexuality/women in general’. She makes some reference to Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto and the possibility that ‘Cyborg identities, mediated through the politics of women of colour, help defuse—or…deny the responsibility of working with—whiteness and white feminist social location.’
This is a very long and detailed piece, and Johar Schueller takes a while to get to the point about Cyborg identities. I would not consider this article as specifically relevant as The Mulatto Cyborg or Supa Dupa Fly, however in researching for this topic it would provide valuable background knowledge on changing gender and race representations. As this is a scholarly piece of writing (published by the University of Chicago) I would consider this credible, however it could be useful to compare with other research.
5.Review: The Souls of Cyberfolk: Posthumanism as Vernacular Theory/ Thomas Foster-Mark Bould
Mark Bould provides a review on the book, ‘The Souls of Cyberfolk’ which explores the genre of ‘cyberpunk’ which appeared in the early 1980’s as a ‘shake up to the moribund genre of science fiction by making it more culturally relevant.’ He first provides readers with an overview of the issue of a world with increasing technological advancement and the way in which ‘Old hierarchies of class, race, gender and sexuality were (supposedly) being dissolved as commodities became the key to identity.’ He then summarises the key points of the book and considers the ways in which ‘the virtual offers the possibility of new identity-communities even as it undermines locale or ethnicity as sources of identity-community.’
Based on Bould’s interpretation of ‘The Souls of Cyberfolk’ it seems that reading this article would prove useful for research into the topic as it has provided other references to information and pointed me in the direction of Foster’s research, where I would now save time having read his review. As the book was written in 2005 like the majority of the other articles I have found it would be relevant to read and compare and also interesting as it is a reflection of the development of cyberpunk over a period of more than 20 years.
WEBLIOGRAPHY (By Jade Stafford)
SOURCE 1
TITLE: Science Fiction and Gender Wars
AUTHOR: RamzPaul
DATE: 14/10/2009
TYPE: BlogSpot
URL: http://www.ramzpaul.com/2009/10/science-fiction-and-gender-wars.html
1) Character
This first source is a blog from a blogspot. The author of this blog focuses on how feminist ideology has changed the direction of science fiction over the last decade and the pro’s and con’s of these changes. This source is basically a review of another article that had recently gone viral, thus all the information gathered came from one source, which questions it credibility. Despite the source’s questionable reliability, it does not present a simplistic view on the topic, but rather presenting deep and thought provoking ideas. Furthermore, being created in 2009, the source is still relevant in contemporary society and the ideas that are being presented are still significant today.
2) Intention and Author/ity
This source is a blog, thus it simply portrays the personal opinions of the author. This means the intention of the source is to express one attitude towards a particular topic rather than presenting facts and research. As a result of this, no scholarly authority is offered in this information. No references, apart from the article that is being discussed, are given so that the arguments and perspectives could be further assessed and verified. However, despite the sources’ lack of scholarly authority, it still presents useful information.
3) Relevance to Research Topic
The material is worth reading as gives a particular viewpoint on the topic being researched, however, it could not be used as the sole or main source of research. With so many blogs online these days, the quality of information out there is becoming more a matter of opinion rather than fact. However, some bloggers do present links and references to sources that support their arguments, which are appropriate for research at a university level.
SOURCE 2
TITLE: The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky
AUTHOR: Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech
DATE: 09/10/2009
TYPE: Online Article
URL: http://www.the-spearhead.com/2009/10/09/the-war-on-science-fiction-and-marvin-minsky/#comment-2382
1) Character
This second source is an online article from the online magazine, The Spearhead. The author of this article focuses on “the war on science fiction” and how feminism has threatened to change, and has changed, the nature of the science fiction genre. This article only engages with the topic on a simplistic level, offering only examples and not providing a deeper insight to the issues. The article is fairly recent, and thus all topics covered are still relevant.
2) Intention and Author/ity
This source is an article, and thus the author is trying to present a certain argument on the topic. This means that, once again, the authors’ intention is to present one side of the argument in a persuasive way. The article is extremely biased. The magazine it was written for was created for “American men, particularly those of the post-boomer generations”. This in itself makes its attitudes towards feminism bleak and given that the ‘name’ of the author is ‘Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech’, it is clear to see that the article too is somewhat biased. However, the source does offer some scholarly authority as it provides references to other sources, but the credibility of these sources is also questionable.
3) Relevance to Research Topic
The article illustrates how feminism has changed the nature of science fiction by using examples from real life, many of which are popular and well known, which makes it appealing and easy to read. This, however, is also its downfall. The article focuses on examples rather than the real issues and themes that need to be researched thoroughly for this essay. With this said, this article is suitable for this type of research essay, but shouldn’t be used as the sole research material.
SOURCE 3
TITLE: Sci-Fi Racial Stereotypes
AUTHOR: BoneRiceFilms
DATE: 25/03/2009
TYPE: Video
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tbiK6cPUU
1) Character
This third source is a youtube video. It basically highlights the subtle racial differentiations in the classic Star Wars films and the television show, Stargate. This video engages with the research topic on very simplistic and basic level, at times even making a mockery of the issues being researched.
2) Intention and Author/ity
This video was made as part of a group presentation on race and gender in popular Science Fiction. The part of the video about Star Wars is supposedly based on an article on the same topic, however a name or any information about this article is not included. This brings into question the credibility of the sources used by the author and thus means this source has no scholarly authority.
3) Relevance to Research Topic
This source is relevant to the research topic, but in no way is a credible source that could be used in a university research assignment of this type.
SOURCE 4
TITLE: (Re)reading Queerly: Science Fiction, Feminism, and the Defamiliarization of Gender
AUTHOR: Veronica Hollinger
DATE: 03/1999
TYPE: Journal Article
URL: http://links.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/stable/4240749?seq=1
1) Character
This article focuses on how gender has been constructed in science fiction works written by women. It deals with the said topic on a deep and complex level, offering a great deal of insight and valid arguments. The article was written in the late 1990’s and thus, the only criticism that could be used against it is whether or not it is slightly out dated.
2) Intention and Author/ity
This source is a journal article, and was therefore created in order to explore a certain issue in as much depth and detail as possible. This article has scholarly authority as it was published in Science Fiction Studies, a scholarly journal devoted to the study of the genre of science fiction based at DePauw University. The reliability of this source is further emphasized by the lengthy list of references at the ends of the article. All these factors indicate that this article is more than reliable as a research material.
3) Relevance to Research Topic
The material in this article is definitely at an appropriate level for the research task and contains information that can be used at a university level. The reliability and usefulness of the information makes this article an essential research material.
SOURCE 5
TITLE: Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I)
AUTHOR: Sarah Zettel
DATE: 31/01/2009
TYPE: Online Article
URL: http://www.bscreview.com/2009/01/race-and-science-fiction-part-i-by-sarah-zettel/
1) Character
This article focuses on “how writers of American speculative fiction should/shouldn’t, do/don’t, can/can’t present people/beings who are not white, American and male.” the article offers to explain the reason why this phenomenon occurs, but as a result fails to deal with the topic on a deeper level.
2) Intention and Author/ity
This source is an online article and was evidently created to express the viewpoint of the author. The article has a small amount of scholarly authority claiming that the author has written 14 novels and numerous short stories. The site then goes on the list the awards she has won and the work that she currently does. However, no references are offered so her arguments can be followed up on, which then questions whether the source in reliable or not and seems as if the site is trying to convince the reader that the author’s article is credible.
3) Relevance to Research Topic
The material in this article is somewhat useful, however, it is no appropriate for this type of research essay. It offers little solid information on the topic and appears to simply be a rant from the author, barely offering reasoning behind the argument.
CONCLUSION
After finding these sources it has become evident that research time and effort could be spent more wisely online rather than consulting conventional print sources because the Internet is constantly being updated. New ideas and opinions come to light everyday online, compared with books which, on a topic like gender roles in science fiction, can become outdated very quickly, especially in our modern, fast-paced society. However, conventional print sources are still extremely useful and essential in research as well.
CITATIONS
Sci-Fi Racial Stereotypes” < http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=q8tbiK6cPUU> 25th March 2009 [accessed 04/09/2010]
Pro-Male/Anti-Feminist Tech, “The War on Science Fiction and Marvin Minsky” <http://www.the-spearhead.com/2009/10/09/the-war-on-science-fiction-and-marvin-minsky/#comment-2382> 9th October 2009 [accessed 07/09/2010]
RamZpaul, “Science Fiction and Gender Wars”<http://www.ramzpaul.com/ 2009/ 10/ science-fiction-and-gender-wars.html> 14th October 2009 [accessed 08/09/2010]
Sarah Zettel, “Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I)” <http://www.bscreview.com/2009/01/race-and-science-fiction-part-i-by-sarah-zettel/> 21st January 2009 [accessed 08/09/2010]
Veronica Hollinger, “(Re)reading Queerly: Science Fiction, Feminism, and the Defamiliarization of Gender” <http://links.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/ stable/ 4240749?seq=1> March 1999 [accessed 07/09/2010]
Sunday, September 12, 2010
‘Why Should Our Bodies End at the Skin?’
In addressing the guiding question, the focus was on trying to find not just critical or theoretical sources, but also sources that offered case studies as to the role and place of skin in our future embodiment. In this regard, the internet provides an invaluable resource as it is a constantly updating environment where new discoveries are constantly being reported and updated. As such, it is possible to find examples as to the possibility of our future embodiment. While physically publishing a text can take some time, publishing onto a website only takes a matter of minutes to make the information available to anyone with internet access.
The article concerns itself with the rhetoric that Stelarc creates around his art works. For Stelarc, the human body has already become an automaton, acting involuntarily to external stimuli. Stelarc envisages a future shedding of the skin where ‘a body that extrude its awareness and action into other bodies or bits of bodies in other places'. This would enable the possibility of initiating a movement in one location and it manifesting itself elsewhere. Stelarc’s body is open to control. Stimbod enables the body’s movements to be programmed using a touch screen interface. This touch screen becomes itself a skin. The body is to be no longer contained within the skin, but constructed with ‘split physiology, operating with multiple agency.’ For Stelarc, skin is an unnecessary limiting constraint on the body.
Stelarc wrote this source about his own art practice and is largely self-serving. Stelarc is not seeking to explore a thesis relating to the body or cyborgs, but rather just explain his own art practice. As such, there is no referencing to particular sources to give weight to what he is saying. Neme.org, the site hosting the source, is a cultural non-Government organization registered in Cyprus. The source provides a fascinating insight into Stelarc’s practice as well as the possibilities of our future embodiment.
Skinput: Appropriating the Body as an Input Surface
‘Skinput’ was a project to turn the skin into an input surface. Skin is an appealing input device because it is easily accessible by our hands. Skinput works by using a ‘novel array of sensors’ placed in a specially designed armband that picks up the ‘mechanical vibrations that propagate through the body.’ While the source is a scientific research paper, it provides a practical exploration of skin in relation to our future embodiment. The implications that such an input system could have on our embodiment are endless.
Harrison is a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University focusing on novel input methods. The technology that Harrison demonstrates is actualized technology, not mere speculation. This is important as it shows a real and possible trajectory of technology of the body in recreating our own embodiment. Given the evidence provided and Harrison’s authority, the source is reliable.
The Cyborg's Dilemma: Progressive Embodiment in Virtual Environments
Biocca’s article explores the ways in which the interface is becoming more human in both virtual and augmented reality. For Biocca, the body is an information acquisition system composed of sensory devices. As Biocca explains ‘The body is the surface on which all energy fields impinge, on which communication and telecommunication takes form.' While the human body may have these innate sensors, the quest going forward into virtual world is how to embody the perception of various senses within the virtual. Biocca combines critical theory along with scientific research in the field to provide a viable look into embodiment in virtual worlds.
The source is an expanded version of a keynote presentation that Biocca gave at International Cognitive Technology Conference in August, 1997. The source is located on Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication website, which is sponsored by Indiana University. As such, it comes from a reputable, academic source. Further, the article is fully referenced, allowing the reader to further explore ideas raised in the source. The source was published in 1998, and since then technology has progressed significantly (which is evident when Biocca is discussing screen technology). However, despite the technological short-comings, Biocca’s commentary on the development of embodiment within the virtual world is still relevant.
Sensitive Synthetic Skin in the Works for Prosthetic Arms
This source details how researchers are creating an artificial skin that functions and feels like real skin. Sensitive skin is seen as being essential in our future embodiment with technology. Skin is seen as a conglomeration of sensors that interact with the environment. For our own future embodiment, a synthetic skin would enable greater us to move past our present embodiment. Amputees could have limbs replaced that are covered in a synthetic skin that is capable of actively sensing. Following Stelarc’s vision of disembodiment, we could create new bodies to control that mimic our own embodiment – the possibility of multiple embodiments anywhere around the world that we control from one location becomes a possibility.
The source is hosted on IEEE, which claims to be ‘the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology’. The source outlines the advancements made by a collaboration of reputable research associations (NASA, ORNL, NIA) and provides links to other related sources, offering an expanded view of the development of the synthetic skin and its applications. This is useful as it offers further insights into developments of body mapping and prosthesis, which is fundamental to our future embodiment.
The influence of racial embodiment on racial bias in immersive virtual environments
The source presents the findings of a study that examined how racial representations in an ‘immersive virtual environment’ (IVE) affects racial bias. In the physical world, skin plays a central role in identifying race – as it is skin colour that is the primary mode of demarcation. However, in an IVE, people have the ability to design their avatar and choose their skin colour. In many digital environments, people spend large amounts of time viewing and controlling their avatar. This avatar is part of their embodiment, however it is at the same time disembodied. The source maps the psychological implications of racial embodiment in these environments.
While the source is concerned with IVE, the findings could be applied to non-virtual environments in exploring the idea of skin in relation to how we might imagine our future embodiment. Further, the source is a 2009 article by researchers from Stanford University, a reputable source. The source sets out in detail the results of the test and then offers an in-depth discussion. The source has data to back up its ascertains, making it invaluable for exploring the implications of racial embodiment as we are provided with real evidence rather than theoretical hypothesises. While there are shortcomings and gaps in its investigation, the source still provides an interesting investigation of racial embodiment.
Webliography
Question - “if science fiction in a genre that imagines our future, what happens to gender and race?"
Race, Gender & Science Fiction
Webliography
Guiding Question 4
If science fiction is a genre that imagine our future, what happens to gender and race?
· Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film
This source discusses ‘how SF cinema, in imagining new worlds and addressing a broad range of social topics, has confronted and retreated from the colour line, one of the most troubling and turbulent social issues present in American society'1. It applies to the guiding question as it is structured to talk about how race in cinematic science fiction can move from absence to tokenism, and also how it is the ‘ultimate signifier of difference, alienness and “otherness"'2. In this way it could be used to illustrate how race in the future, based on what science fiction imagines our future to be, will be much the same as it is now considering it reflects the social issues of today. Issues I can see arising from the book however, is the fact that she only talks of race as ‘black people’ and does not take into account those of other races and how they are portrayed in science fiction cinema. Due to this, race in the future cannot be fully assessed considering not all race is discussed but it is an otherwise useful discussion for the question.
· Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy
This book is a series of articles written by different authors, all discussing the idea of females in the science fiction (and fantasy) genre. The introduction briefly touches on how females are portrayed, stating ‘these later series also relied on the containment features of sexual objectification, white dominance, heteronormativity and obedience to white male authority'3. A later chapter, written by Robin Roberts titled ‘Science, Race and Gender in Star Trek: Voyager’ talks about both race and gender, stating that ‘this series emphasises how racial differences affect females and how the race and gender of the scientist affect the practice of science'4. So in this respect, this chapter is especially helpful in discussing race and gender in regards to science fiction, as the author wants the reader to be aware of the ‘triangulation of gender, race, and science'.5 This chapter is useful for discussion of the guiding question, however the rest of the book deals with vast amounts of fantasy, rather than science fiction. However, Chapter 11 (No Ramps In Space) gives an interesting look into disabilities in science fiction cinema, and this could give a new perspective for the guiding question.
· Decoding Gender in Science Fiction
This book also discusses gender in science fiction in regards to females, with the idea that science fiction creates ‘a superhuman femme fatal, the object of equal parts fear and fascination'6. He implies that women in science fiction are created as objects of desire, and thus this gives them power, however, not as much power as men have in both science fiction literature and cinema. Men will also be the ones who give the final orders, have the big roles and who have control while women play smaller roles, being the one who is the seducer of the in control males. Issues I’ve had with this source are that it can be quite dense in some respects and to get some solid points and quotes, you must sift through a bit of irrelevant material.
· Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality
This book is also an insight into gender and race in science fiction cinema, looking at how ‘the degree of power assigned to a central female character was usually matched by the identifiably horrific nature of the alien menace'7. The advantage of this source is that it discusses race in terms of a non-human race (aliens) rather than a type of human race, specifically in Chapter 6 (Alien Others: Race and the Science Fiction Film). She states that ‘…the alien, monster or robot of science fiction may provide an example of Otherness, against which a representation of “proper” human subjectivity is established…'8 making the distinction between the “normal” human race as opposed to foreign “objects” from different worlds. This source could be used to illustrate how if science fiction films such as War of the Worlds are a look into our future, the concept of race (in completely foreign terms) is one to be feared, and as a consequence, fought. This source can also be used in terms of gender, with two chapters being devoted to the masculine (Chapter 4: The Masculine Subject of Science Fiction in the 1980’s) and femininity (Chapter 5: Gender Blending and the Feminist Subject).
· Moving Science: Science, Gender and Science Fiction
This is an online article, which has an interesting discussion of females in science fiction, as robots. It pays particular attention to the female body and how it is created, drawing on examples from Metropolis and The X Files. Her analysis of Metropolis looks into how when a female robot is turned into flesh, she is made into an object of desire, or a male fantasy. The robot is one to be feared and Lammes points out how ‘the creator of all this trouble is male'9 due to him wanting to create a perfect woman, one who fulfils what his ideal woman would be. Although this film is from the 1920’s, it can still give us an insight into how women are perceived in science fiction films – even as robots/cyborgs, they are still objects of desire and because of it, the female gender is downplayed and still inferior to the male species. This source is helpful to the question when looking at gender in science fiction however much of the article is dedicated to other areas of interest, but all in all could be useful.
1 Nama, Adilifu, Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film, University of Texas Press, 2008, p4
2 Ibid, p7
3 Helford, Elyce Rae, Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Rowman & Littleford, 2000, pp 3-4
4 Ibid, p 203
5Ibid, p204
6 Attebery, Brian, Decoding Gender in Science Fiction, Routledge, 2002, p205
7 Cornea, Christine, Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality, Edinburgh University Press, 2007, p50
8 Ibid, p176
9 Lammes, Sybille, Moving Science: Science, Gender and Science Fiction, The European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, 1997, 7/9/2010, http://www.easst.net/review/march1997/lammes
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