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Speculative fiction is defined as science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Within those categories exists many other subcategories, for example cyberpunk, magical realism, and psychological horror.

" Person of color" is a term used in the United States to denote non- white persons, sometimes narrowed to mean non- WASP persons or non-Hispanic whites, if " ethnic whites" are included. The term "person of color" is used to redefine what it means to be a part of the historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups within Western society. A writer of color is a writer who is a part of a marginalized culture in regards to traditional Euro-Western mainstream culture. This includes Asians, African-Americans, Africans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

While writers of color may sometimes focus on experiences unique to their cultural heritage, which have sometimes been considered "subcategories" of national heritage (e.g. the black experience within American culture), many do not only write about their particular culture or members within that culture, in the same way that many Americans of European descent (traditionally categorized as Caucasian or white) do not only write about Western culture or members of their cultural heritage. The works of many well-known writers of color tend to examine issues of identity politics, religion, feminism, race relations, economic disparity, and the often unacknowledged and rich histories of various cultural groups.

African-American (Black) speculative fiction

African-American science fiction and fantasy and their origins

Black speculative fiction often focuses on race and the history of race relations in Western society. The history of slavery, the African diaspora, and the Civil Rights Movement sometimes influence the narrative of SF stories written by black authors. Within science fiction, the concern is that many traditional science fiction works do not include black people in the future under any context, or only in sidelined roles.

As the popularity of science fiction and other speculative genres grows within the black community, some longtime fans and black writers branch out to write about "universal" themes that cross cultural lines and feature African and African-American protagonists. These stories and novels may not deal heavily with issues concerning race but instead primarily focus on other aspects of life. They are notable because, historically, many science fiction works that deal with traditional science fiction subject matter do not feature characters of color.

The cultural significance of science fiction works by black writers is being recognized in the mainstream as more fans indicate a desire for stories that reflect their interests in speculative fiction and also reflect their unique experiences as people of color. Non-POC fans are also interested in these works. While they may or may not identify with the cultural contexts of the work, they can and do identify with the characters within the context of the story and enjoy the science fiction themes and plots. This is indicated by the popularity of writers like Octavia E. Butler, Walter Mosley, Nalo Hopkinson, and Tananarive Due.

The contributions of writers such as Octavia E. Butler, usually credited as the first black woman to gain widespread acclaim and recognition as a speculative fiction writer, have influenced the works of new generations of SF writers of color.

Hope Wabuke, a writer and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln of English and Creative Writing, argues that the term "Black Speculative Literature" can encompass the terms Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and Africanjujuism, the latter two coined by Nnedi Okorafor, all of which center "African and African diasporic culture, thought, mythos, philosophy, and worldviews." [1]

See also

African-American, African-Canadian, and African-British science fiction, fantasy, and horror


See also:

Asian and Asian American Speculative Fiction

While the term Afrofuturism is widely used and accepted to explain the mingling of the African American experience with technology, science, and the future, a similar term, "Asianfuturism," has yet to catch on. [2] Popularity is growing for English translations of Chinese science fiction novels, but the number of Asian-American science fiction authors remains small and underrepresented. [3]  

With various perspectives from the diaspora, many works of Asian speculative fiction present commentary on xenophobia, imperialism, environmental degradation, independence, identity, and belonging. Sometimes introducing elements of cyberpunk and the supernatural, works in this genre can also transport readers to a realm separate from reality while discussing similar themes. Asian speculative fiction allows readers a space for discovery and understanding of unfamiliar settings and norms with stories set in countries such as China, Japan, India, and many more.

Chinese American speculative fiction written by and about women work on creating the feeling of nostalgia in readers, focusing in on experiences by second-generation Americans. [4] Women's experiences are also explored through the lens of cyberpunk fiction, with an emphasis on the female body. [5]

Japanese Horror and Its Origins

See also: Japanese horror

Belief in ghosts, demons and spirits has been deep-rooted in Japanese folklore throughout history. It is entwined with mythology and superstition derived from Japanese Shinto, as well as Buddhism and Taoism brought to Japan from China and India. Stories and legends, combined with mythology, have been collected over the years by various cultures of the world, both past and present. Folklore has evolved in order to explain or rationalize various natural events. Inexplicable phenomena arouse a fear in humankind because there is no way for us to anticipate them or to understand their origins. [6] The early horror stories of Japan (also known as Kaidan or more recently J-Horror) revolved around vengeful spirits or Yūrei. In recent years, interest in these tales have been revived with the release of such films as Ju-on: The Grudge and Ring.

Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy and Their Origins

See also: Japanese science fiction

Japanese fiction has assumed a position of significance in many genres of world literature as it continues to chart its own creative course. Whereas science fiction in the English-speaking world developed gradually over a period of evolutionary change in style and content, SF in Japan took off from a very different starting line. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, Japanese SF writers worked to combine their own thousand-year-old literary tradition with a flood of Western SF and other fiction. Contemporary Japanese SF thus began in a jumble of ideas and periods, and ultimately propelled Japanese authors into a quantum leap of development, rather than a steady process of evolution.

See also

Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy and Their Origins

Chinese American Speculative Fiction

Ted Chiang, American Chinese author of "Story of Your Life"

Many speculative works by Asian American authors delve into the immigrant experience, addressing themes of displacement, assimilation, and the search for belonging in a new land. Like speculative fiction in general, Chinese American speculative fiction often serves as a platform for social commentary. It may address current issues such as racism, discrimination, environmental degradation, and political unrest through the lens of speculative elements. [7]

One notable Asian American speculative fiction author is Ted Chiang, who is especially known for his short stories. His 1998 short story "Story of Your Life" is the basis or the 2016 film Arrival, which tells the story of a linguist who tries to decipher an alien language, and as she does so, her perception of time is profoundly altered. [8]

Chiang is the winner of numerous Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. He was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and his parents are immigrants from China. [9] Chiang refers to himself as an "occasional writer" and doesn't feel the need to write constantly or prolifically. His goal as a writer is to engage in philosophical thought experiments and try to work out the implications of various concepts. [10] He has said that he won't start writing a story until he knows how it's going to end, [11] and actually spent five years researching linguistics before feeling prepared to write "Story of Your Life." [12]

Ken Liu at the Hugo Awards Ceremony 2017

Chinese American author, Ken Liu, was born in China but immigrated to the US at age 11, has not only translated numerous Chinese science fiction novels into English, (including Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin, which became the first Asian novel to with the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015 [13]), but has also won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and other awards for his short stories and novels. [14]

When translating Chinese works to English, Liu has said that it can be difficult trying to translate the historical references and literary allusions that Chinese works are filled with. Unless a reader was fluent in Chinese culture, most of these references would not be easily understood. [15]

Liu has coined his own sub-genre mix of ancient Chinese legend and western fantasy as "silkpunk." This can be read in several of his novels such as The Grace of Kings and The Wall of Storms. [16]

Chinese American Speculative Fiction Written By and About Women

Chinese American speculative fiction written by and about women work on creating the feeling of nostalgia in readers, focusing in on experiences by second-generation Americans. [17] Women's experiences are also explored through the lens of cyberpunk fiction, with an emphasis on the female body. [18]

Larissa Lai, author of Salt Fish Girl

Texts written by female authors place women in the lead in previously male-dominated spaces, bringing about themes of empowerment. [18] These Chinese American fiction texts pull from the past, invoking the feeling of nostalgia in readers. [17] Novels such as Salt Fish Girl by Larissa Lai, may also pull from Chinese mythology in their works. [18] It is common for varying forms of privilege to be discussed and to examine the myriad of ways in which it affects those who have it versus those who do not. [17]

History is also largely taken into account in these texts from when people first immigrated from China to the United States. [17] Chinese American fiction texts then often give the perspectives of second-generation Americans and how their experiences affect both daily and family life, pulling from historical influences or personal experience. [17] Issues surrounding race are prominent and examined in these texts, both through metaphor and explicit statements. [18]

Ling Ma, author of Severance

With the novel Severance by Ling Ma as a guide, other themes can be found of transformation, including that of both people and landscapes. [17] Common themes in this text and others, focus on the ways that corporations determine societal norms and expectations, and the effect that has on the individual. [18]

A sub-genre of some Chinese American speculative fiction texts can be described as cyberpunk, in which an emphasis is placed onto technology. [18] Reproductive rights are another common theme and issue, often discussed through a cyberpunk lens. [18] In texts centering women, the clone is discussed as a metaphor for the female body. [18] Female Chinese American authors in speculative fiction may discuss varying issues surrounding sexuality of the female body and the way it is seen and used in corporate society, utilizing the previously mentioned common themes. [18]

Indian Speculative Fiction

Anil Menon, Indian science fiction author known for his novels "The Beast With Nine Billion Feet" and "Half of What I Say" as well as his contributions to many short story anthologies

Indian speculative fiction has had long-standing roots with the earliest known examples being published in 1835. Early authors such as Henry Meredith Parker, Henry Goodeve, Kylas Chunder Dutt, Soshee Chunder Dutt, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, and Jagadish Chandra Bose helped develop the genre. [19] From "The Junction of the Ocean: A Tale of the Year 2098", a story of how the construction of the Panama Canal changed the landscape of the world [20] to "The Republic of Orissá; A Page from the Annals of the Twentieth Century”, a dystopia about a revolt against Britain's institutionalization of a law supporting slavery on colonial India, [21] and "Sultana's Dream", a feminist utopia in where traditional gender norms are turned on their head, [22] as well as, "Runaway Cyclone", about a man who calmed a sea storm using hair oil, which anticipated the phenomenon known as the "butterfly effect," [23] these authors' contributions bring unique perspectives on imperial and anti-imperial sentiments during colonial times. [19]

Contemporary examples of speculative fiction from an Indian perspective include Anil Menon's 2009 debut novel The Beast With Nine Billion Feet set in India in 2040 about two siblings who deal with their father's legacy by joining forces with another sibling duo from Sweden, [24] Vandana Singh's 2018 short story collection Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories which include stories like that of a poet from the eleventh century suddenly waking up in a futuristic spaceship as an AI and a unassuming woman with the ability to see the past, [25] and The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, which are anthologies of Indian science fiction stories from various authors with two volumes currently out published in 2019 and 2021 respectively. They feature stories from the previously mentioned authors and many more. Some of these include stories about Karachi losing its sea, Gandhi reappearing in the present times, and aliens appearing on the railways of Uttar Pradesh. [26] With their twists on the genre, these stories present a different take for readers to appreciate. [27]

See also

Thai Science Fiction and Fantasy and Their Origins

Caribbean speculative fiction writers of note

See Also:

South American speculative fiction writers of note

U.S. Latino speculative fiction

Cultural theorist Christopher Gonzalez argues that Latino speculative, fantasy, and weird fiction create necessary excursions into the realm of impossible in order for writers and readers of color to cope with 21st-century realities. [29] Latino speculative fiction brings humor to fantastical, futuristic, comedic, and bleak political subjects, offering readers strange new concepts such as: los cosmos azteca, shape shifting robots, pre-Columbian holobooks, talking sardines and gun toting reptiles, and cybernetically wired patron saints. [30] Latino authors write about the legacy of colonialism, racism, sexism, mass incarceration, machismo culture, and other social injustices. Latino critic Frederick Luis Aldama noted that it has been half a century since a Latin American Boom writers introduced magical realism to the publishing world. [31] A new generation of Latino writers used that historical literary moment as a springboard into bold explorations of speculative writing. [31]

Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Diaz, author of "Monstro," noted that colonialism's legacy in Caribbean culture involves speculative fiction, monsters, and aliens. [32] The short story "Room for Rent," by Richie Narvaez, in which the arrival of extraterrestrials is likened to the arrival of Columbus to the Caribbean, "evokes a dialogue between past and present colonial scenarios." [33] In the story collection Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado deals with misogyny through science fiction and ghost stories. [34] Giannina Braschi's United States of Banana (2011) deals with Puerto Rican independence, financial terrorism, and racism, by imagining what might happen if the United States tries to sell Puerto Rico to China as debt relief or turn the island into the 51st state. [35] [36] Speculative fiction about Latino immigration includes Alex Rivera's cult film Sleep Dealer, which is set a futurist, militarized world of closed borders, drone surveillance, and an abused global digital workforce. [37] Eric Garcia's The Repossession Mambo (2009) is a futuristic horror story about a health care system in which body parts are bought, sold, and repossessed depending on the financial agreement. [38] Mexican-American author Rudy Ruiz has written dystopian sci-fi and magical realism works addressing social issues related to immigration, borders, social justice and machismo. [39] Silvia Moreno-Garcia stands as a prominent figure in U.S. Latino speculative fiction, celebrated for her rich storytelling that intertwines cultural heritage with imaginative worlds through several of her works including Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things. [40]

List of Latino authors of note

Native American speculative fiction

Two-Spirit speculative fiction

Two-Spirit speculative fiction is a genre that explores themes of gender identity and cultural perspectives through the lens of Indigenous traditions and futuristic or alternate realities. This genre presents a unique opportunity for Indigenous authors and readers to reclaim and redefine their narratives, while challenging mainstream assumptions about gender and culture. [44]

List of Native authors of note

Asian diaspora speculative fiction writers of note

Anglo-Indian speculative fiction writers

See also

Further reading

  • hooks, bell (1999). Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics. Boston: South End Press.
  • Bogle, Donald (2001). Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films (4th ed.). New York: Bloomsbury.
  • Carrington, André M. (2016). Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
  • http://www.afrocyberpunk.com/

References

  1. ^ Wabuke, Hope (27 August 2020). "Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and the Language of Black Speculative Literature". LA Review of Books. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Musings on Asianfuturism? – ED(MOND)CHANG(ED)AGOGY". 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ^ "A Reflection on Chinese and Asian American Representation in Sci-Fi and Fantasy". Santa Fe Writers Project. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  4. ^ Gullander-Drolet, Claire (2021). "Imperialist Nostalgia and Untranslatable Affect in Ling Ma's Severance". Science Fiction Studies. 48 (1): 94–108. ISSN  2327-6207.
  5. ^ Roh, David S.; Huang, Betsy; Niu, Greta A., eds. (2015). Techno-Orientalism: imagining Asia in speculative fiction, history, and media. Asian American studies today. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN  978-0-8135-7064-8.
  6. ^ Rubin, Norman A. (26 June 2000). "Ghosts, Demons and Spirits in Japanese Lore". Asianart.com.
  7. ^ Esaki, Brett J. (22 January 2020). "Ted Chiang's Asian American Amusement at Alien Arrival". Religions. 11 (2): 56 – via MDPI.
  8. ^ Smith, Andy (3 January 2020). "Alien Worlds". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  9. ^ "Ted Chiang". Penguin Random House. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  10. ^ Rothman, Joshua (5 January 2017). "Ted Chiang's Soulful Science Fiction". The New Yorker. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  11. ^ Solomon, Avi (29 January 2014). "Stories of Ted Chiang's Life and Others". Medium. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  12. ^ Ulaby, Neda (11 November 2016). "'Arrival' Author's Approach to Science Fiction? Slow, Steady and Successful". NPR. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  13. ^ Alter, Alexandra (3 December 2019). "How Chinese Sci-Fi Conquered America". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  14. ^ Liu, Ken (27 April 2024). "About". Ken Liu, Writer. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  15. ^ Sullivan, Collin (20 August 2016). "Chinese SF and the Art of Translation - A Q&A With Ken Liu". Nature.com. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  16. ^ Tonkin, Boyd (30 October 2016). "Meet the Man Bringing Chinese Science Fiction to the West". Newsweek. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  17. ^ a b c d e f Gullander-Drolet, Claire (2021). "Imperialist Nostalgia and Untranslatable Affect in Ling Ma's Severance". Science Fiction Studies. 48 (1): 94–108. doi: 10.1353/sfs.2021.0024. ISSN  2327-6207.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i Roh, David S.; Huang, Betsy; Niu, Greta A., eds. (2015). Techno-Orientalism: imagining Asia in speculative fiction, history, and media. Asian American studies today. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN  978-0-8135-7064-8.
  19. ^ a b "Science Fiction in Colonial India, 1835–1905". AnthemPress. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  20. ^ Parker, Henry Meredith (1835). ""The Junction of the Ocean. A Tale of the Year 2098"". openpublishing.psu.edu. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  21. ^ Dutt, Shoshee Chunder (1845). ""The Republic of Orissá; A Page from the Annals of the Twentieth Century"". openpublishing.psu.edu. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Sultana's Dream". digital.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  23. ^ words, Anil MenonBy: Vandana Singh Issue: 30 September 2013 1139 (30 September 2013). "Introduction to "Runaway Cyclone" and "Sheesha Ghat"". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 26 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)
  24. ^ "The Beast With Nine Billion Feet | Anil Menon". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Ambiguity Machines | Small Beer Press". Small Beer Press | Really rather good books. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  26. ^ "The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction". Goodreads. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Perspective | Let's talk about wonderful Indian science-fiction and fantasy novels". Washington Post. 23 March 2021. ISSN  0190-8286. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Marlon James's Next Book Will Be 'African Game Of Thrones'". Gizmodo. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  29. ^ González, Christopher (2013), Aldama, Frederick Luis (ed.), "Latino Sci-Fi: Cognition and Narrative Design in Alex Rivera's Sleep Dealer", Latinos and Narrative Media: Participation and Portrayal, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 211–223, doi: 10.1057/9781137361783_14, ISBN  978-1-137-36178-3, retrieved 12 October 2020
  30. ^ Latinx rising : an anthology of Latinx science fiction and fantasy. Goodwin, Matthew David, Aldama, Frederick Luis. Columbus. 2020. ISBN  978-0-8142-7799-7. OCLC  1157344767.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link)
  31. ^ a b Latinx rising : an anthology of Latinx science fiction and fantasy. Goodwin, Matthew David,, Aldama, Frederick Luis, 1969-. Columbus. 2020. ISBN  978-0-8142-7799-7. OCLC  1157344767.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link)
  32. ^ Grady, Constance (2 October 2016). "In conversation with Junot Díaz: on the force field of privilege and the power of art". Vox. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  33. ^ Goodwin, Matthew David (2021). The Latinx Files: Race, Migration, and Space Aliens. Rutgers University Press. ISBN  978-1978815117.
  34. ^ Corrigan, Jen (28 April 2018). "Speculative Feminism: On Carmen Maria Machado's 'Her Body and Other Parties'". Medium. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  35. ^ Sheeran, Amy; Smith, Amanda M. (2018). "A Graphic Revolution: Talking Poetry Politics with Giannina Braschi". Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures. 2 (2): 130. doi: 10.2979/chiricu.2.2.10. ISSN  0277-7223. S2CID  158357009.
  36. ^ Riofrio, John (1 March 2020). "Falling for debt: Giannina Braschi, the Latinx avant-garde, and financial terrorism in the United States of Banana". Latino Studies. 18 (1): 66–81. doi: 10.1057/s41276-019-00239-2. ISSN  1476-3443. S2CID  212759434.
  37. ^ Montgomery, David. "Alex Rivera's lost cult hit "Sleep Dealer" about immigration and drones is back". Washington Post. ISSN  0190-8286. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  38. ^ González, Christopher (2013), Aldama, Frederick Luis (ed.), "Latino Sci-Fi: Cognition and Narrative Design in Alex Rivera's Sleep Dealer", Latinos and Narrative Media: Participation and Portrayal, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 211–223, doi: 10.1057/9781137361783_14, ISBN  978-1-137-36178-3, retrieved 12 October 2020
  39. ^ Jessi Rae Morton (27 December 2021). ""The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez" Is A Bildungsroman Filled with Magic, Curses, and Star-Crossed Love". Southern Review of Books.
  40. ^ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (25 October 2016). Certain Dark Things: A Novel. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN  978-1250099082.
  41. ^ a b c d "Books". latinomagazine.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  42. ^ Poets, philosophers, lovers: on the writings of Giannina Braschi. Aldama, Frederick Luis, O'Dwyer, Tess. Pittsburgh, Pa. 2020. ISBN  978-0-8229-4618-2. OCLC  1143649021.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link)
  43. ^ Chaviano, Daína, 1957- (2009). The island of eternal love. Labinger, Andrea G. (1st Riverhead trade pbk. ed.). New York: Riverhead Books. ISBN  978-1-59448-379-0. OCLC  268795928.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)
  44. ^ Pearson, Wendy Gay (19 October 2022), "Speculative Fiction and Queer Theory", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication, doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.1214, ISBN  978-0-19-022861-3, retrieved 25 February 2024
Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Speculative_fiction_by_writers_of_color&oldid=1221115717"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Speculative fiction is defined as science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Within those categories exists many other subcategories, for example cyberpunk, magical realism, and psychological horror.

" Person of color" is a term used in the United States to denote non- white persons, sometimes narrowed to mean non- WASP persons or non-Hispanic whites, if " ethnic whites" are included. The term "person of color" is used to redefine what it means to be a part of the historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups within Western society. A writer of color is a writer who is a part of a marginalized culture in regards to traditional Euro-Western mainstream culture. This includes Asians, African-Americans, Africans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

While writers of color may sometimes focus on experiences unique to their cultural heritage, which have sometimes been considered "subcategories" of national heritage (e.g. the black experience within American culture), many do not only write about their particular culture or members within that culture, in the same way that many Americans of European descent (traditionally categorized as Caucasian or white) do not only write about Western culture or members of their cultural heritage. The works of many well-known writers of color tend to examine issues of identity politics, religion, feminism, race relations, economic disparity, and the often unacknowledged and rich histories of various cultural groups.

African-American (Black) speculative fiction

African-American science fiction and fantasy and their origins

Black speculative fiction often focuses on race and the history of race relations in Western society. The history of slavery, the African diaspora, and the Civil Rights Movement sometimes influence the narrative of SF stories written by black authors. Within science fiction, the concern is that many traditional science fiction works do not include black people in the future under any context, or only in sidelined roles.

As the popularity of science fiction and other speculative genres grows within the black community, some longtime fans and black writers branch out to write about "universal" themes that cross cultural lines and feature African and African-American protagonists. These stories and novels may not deal heavily with issues concerning race but instead primarily focus on other aspects of life. They are notable because, historically, many science fiction works that deal with traditional science fiction subject matter do not feature characters of color.

The cultural significance of science fiction works by black writers is being recognized in the mainstream as more fans indicate a desire for stories that reflect their interests in speculative fiction and also reflect their unique experiences as people of color. Non-POC fans are also interested in these works. While they may or may not identify with the cultural contexts of the work, they can and do identify with the characters within the context of the story and enjoy the science fiction themes and plots. This is indicated by the popularity of writers like Octavia E. Butler, Walter Mosley, Nalo Hopkinson, and Tananarive Due.

The contributions of writers such as Octavia E. Butler, usually credited as the first black woman to gain widespread acclaim and recognition as a speculative fiction writer, have influenced the works of new generations of SF writers of color.

Hope Wabuke, a writer and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln of English and Creative Writing, argues that the term "Black Speculative Literature" can encompass the terms Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and Africanjujuism, the latter two coined by Nnedi Okorafor, all of which center "African and African diasporic culture, thought, mythos, philosophy, and worldviews." [1]

See also

African-American, African-Canadian, and African-British science fiction, fantasy, and horror


See also:

Asian and Asian American Speculative Fiction

While the term Afrofuturism is widely used and accepted to explain the mingling of the African American experience with technology, science, and the future, a similar term, "Asianfuturism," has yet to catch on. [2] Popularity is growing for English translations of Chinese science fiction novels, but the number of Asian-American science fiction authors remains small and underrepresented. [3]  

With various perspectives from the diaspora, many works of Asian speculative fiction present commentary on xenophobia, imperialism, environmental degradation, independence, identity, and belonging. Sometimes introducing elements of cyberpunk and the supernatural, works in this genre can also transport readers to a realm separate from reality while discussing similar themes. Asian speculative fiction allows readers a space for discovery and understanding of unfamiliar settings and norms with stories set in countries such as China, Japan, India, and many more.

Chinese American speculative fiction written by and about women work on creating the feeling of nostalgia in readers, focusing in on experiences by second-generation Americans. [4] Women's experiences are also explored through the lens of cyberpunk fiction, with an emphasis on the female body. [5]

Japanese Horror and Its Origins

See also: Japanese horror

Belief in ghosts, demons and spirits has been deep-rooted in Japanese folklore throughout history. It is entwined with mythology and superstition derived from Japanese Shinto, as well as Buddhism and Taoism brought to Japan from China and India. Stories and legends, combined with mythology, have been collected over the years by various cultures of the world, both past and present. Folklore has evolved in order to explain or rationalize various natural events. Inexplicable phenomena arouse a fear in humankind because there is no way for us to anticipate them or to understand their origins. [6] The early horror stories of Japan (also known as Kaidan or more recently J-Horror) revolved around vengeful spirits or Yūrei. In recent years, interest in these tales have been revived with the release of such films as Ju-on: The Grudge and Ring.

Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy and Their Origins

See also: Japanese science fiction

Japanese fiction has assumed a position of significance in many genres of world literature as it continues to chart its own creative course. Whereas science fiction in the English-speaking world developed gradually over a period of evolutionary change in style and content, SF in Japan took off from a very different starting line. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, Japanese SF writers worked to combine their own thousand-year-old literary tradition with a flood of Western SF and other fiction. Contemporary Japanese SF thus began in a jumble of ideas and periods, and ultimately propelled Japanese authors into a quantum leap of development, rather than a steady process of evolution.

See also

Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy and Their Origins

Chinese American Speculative Fiction

Ted Chiang, American Chinese author of "Story of Your Life"

Many speculative works by Asian American authors delve into the immigrant experience, addressing themes of displacement, assimilation, and the search for belonging in a new land. Like speculative fiction in general, Chinese American speculative fiction often serves as a platform for social commentary. It may address current issues such as racism, discrimination, environmental degradation, and political unrest through the lens of speculative elements. [7]

One notable Asian American speculative fiction author is Ted Chiang, who is especially known for his short stories. His 1998 short story "Story of Your Life" is the basis or the 2016 film Arrival, which tells the story of a linguist who tries to decipher an alien language, and as she does so, her perception of time is profoundly altered. [8]

Chiang is the winner of numerous Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. He was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and his parents are immigrants from China. [9] Chiang refers to himself as an "occasional writer" and doesn't feel the need to write constantly or prolifically. His goal as a writer is to engage in philosophical thought experiments and try to work out the implications of various concepts. [10] He has said that he won't start writing a story until he knows how it's going to end, [11] and actually spent five years researching linguistics before feeling prepared to write "Story of Your Life." [12]

Ken Liu at the Hugo Awards Ceremony 2017

Chinese American author, Ken Liu, was born in China but immigrated to the US at age 11, has not only translated numerous Chinese science fiction novels into English, (including Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin, which became the first Asian novel to with the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015 [13]), but has also won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and other awards for his short stories and novels. [14]

When translating Chinese works to English, Liu has said that it can be difficult trying to translate the historical references and literary allusions that Chinese works are filled with. Unless a reader was fluent in Chinese culture, most of these references would not be easily understood. [15]

Liu has coined his own sub-genre mix of ancient Chinese legend and western fantasy as "silkpunk." This can be read in several of his novels such as The Grace of Kings and The Wall of Storms. [16]

Chinese American Speculative Fiction Written By and About Women

Chinese American speculative fiction written by and about women work on creating the feeling of nostalgia in readers, focusing in on experiences by second-generation Americans. [17] Women's experiences are also explored through the lens of cyberpunk fiction, with an emphasis on the female body. [18]

Larissa Lai, author of Salt Fish Girl

Texts written by female authors place women in the lead in previously male-dominated spaces, bringing about themes of empowerment. [18] These Chinese American fiction texts pull from the past, invoking the feeling of nostalgia in readers. [17] Novels such as Salt Fish Girl by Larissa Lai, may also pull from Chinese mythology in their works. [18] It is common for varying forms of privilege to be discussed and to examine the myriad of ways in which it affects those who have it versus those who do not. [17]

History is also largely taken into account in these texts from when people first immigrated from China to the United States. [17] Chinese American fiction texts then often give the perspectives of second-generation Americans and how their experiences affect both daily and family life, pulling from historical influences or personal experience. [17] Issues surrounding race are prominent and examined in these texts, both through metaphor and explicit statements. [18]

Ling Ma, author of Severance

With the novel Severance by Ling Ma as a guide, other themes can be found of transformation, including that of both people and landscapes. [17] Common themes in this text and others, focus on the ways that corporations determine societal norms and expectations, and the effect that has on the individual. [18]

A sub-genre of some Chinese American speculative fiction texts can be described as cyberpunk, in which an emphasis is placed onto technology. [18] Reproductive rights are another common theme and issue, often discussed through a cyberpunk lens. [18] In texts centering women, the clone is discussed as a metaphor for the female body. [18] Female Chinese American authors in speculative fiction may discuss varying issues surrounding sexuality of the female body and the way it is seen and used in corporate society, utilizing the previously mentioned common themes. [18]

Indian Speculative Fiction

Anil Menon, Indian science fiction author known for his novels "The Beast With Nine Billion Feet" and "Half of What I Say" as well as his contributions to many short story anthologies

Indian speculative fiction has had long-standing roots with the earliest known examples being published in 1835. Early authors such as Henry Meredith Parker, Henry Goodeve, Kylas Chunder Dutt, Soshee Chunder Dutt, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, and Jagadish Chandra Bose helped develop the genre. [19] From "The Junction of the Ocean: A Tale of the Year 2098", a story of how the construction of the Panama Canal changed the landscape of the world [20] to "The Republic of Orissá; A Page from the Annals of the Twentieth Century”, a dystopia about a revolt against Britain's institutionalization of a law supporting slavery on colonial India, [21] and "Sultana's Dream", a feminist utopia in where traditional gender norms are turned on their head, [22] as well as, "Runaway Cyclone", about a man who calmed a sea storm using hair oil, which anticipated the phenomenon known as the "butterfly effect," [23] these authors' contributions bring unique perspectives on imperial and anti-imperial sentiments during colonial times. [19]

Contemporary examples of speculative fiction from an Indian perspective include Anil Menon's 2009 debut novel The Beast With Nine Billion Feet set in India in 2040 about two siblings who deal with their father's legacy by joining forces with another sibling duo from Sweden, [24] Vandana Singh's 2018 short story collection Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories which include stories like that of a poet from the eleventh century suddenly waking up in a futuristic spaceship as an AI and a unassuming woman with the ability to see the past, [25] and The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, which are anthologies of Indian science fiction stories from various authors with two volumes currently out published in 2019 and 2021 respectively. They feature stories from the previously mentioned authors and many more. Some of these include stories about Karachi losing its sea, Gandhi reappearing in the present times, and aliens appearing on the railways of Uttar Pradesh. [26] With their twists on the genre, these stories present a different take for readers to appreciate. [27]

See also

Thai Science Fiction and Fantasy and Their Origins

Caribbean speculative fiction writers of note

See Also:

South American speculative fiction writers of note

U.S. Latino speculative fiction

Cultural theorist Christopher Gonzalez argues that Latino speculative, fantasy, and weird fiction create necessary excursions into the realm of impossible in order for writers and readers of color to cope with 21st-century realities. [29] Latino speculative fiction brings humor to fantastical, futuristic, comedic, and bleak political subjects, offering readers strange new concepts such as: los cosmos azteca, shape shifting robots, pre-Columbian holobooks, talking sardines and gun toting reptiles, and cybernetically wired patron saints. [30] Latino authors write about the legacy of colonialism, racism, sexism, mass incarceration, machismo culture, and other social injustices. Latino critic Frederick Luis Aldama noted that it has been half a century since a Latin American Boom writers introduced magical realism to the publishing world. [31] A new generation of Latino writers used that historical literary moment as a springboard into bold explorations of speculative writing. [31]

Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Diaz, author of "Monstro," noted that colonialism's legacy in Caribbean culture involves speculative fiction, monsters, and aliens. [32] The short story "Room for Rent," by Richie Narvaez, in which the arrival of extraterrestrials is likened to the arrival of Columbus to the Caribbean, "evokes a dialogue between past and present colonial scenarios." [33] In the story collection Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado deals with misogyny through science fiction and ghost stories. [34] Giannina Braschi's United States of Banana (2011) deals with Puerto Rican independence, financial terrorism, and racism, by imagining what might happen if the United States tries to sell Puerto Rico to China as debt relief or turn the island into the 51st state. [35] [36] Speculative fiction about Latino immigration includes Alex Rivera's cult film Sleep Dealer, which is set a futurist, militarized world of closed borders, drone surveillance, and an abused global digital workforce. [37] Eric Garcia's The Repossession Mambo (2009) is a futuristic horror story about a health care system in which body parts are bought, sold, and repossessed depending on the financial agreement. [38] Mexican-American author Rudy Ruiz has written dystopian sci-fi and magical realism works addressing social issues related to immigration, borders, social justice and machismo. [39] Silvia Moreno-Garcia stands as a prominent figure in U.S. Latino speculative fiction, celebrated for her rich storytelling that intertwines cultural heritage with imaginative worlds through several of her works including Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things. [40]

List of Latino authors of note

Native American speculative fiction

Two-Spirit speculative fiction

Two-Spirit speculative fiction is a genre that explores themes of gender identity and cultural perspectives through the lens of Indigenous traditions and futuristic or alternate realities. This genre presents a unique opportunity for Indigenous authors and readers to reclaim and redefine their narratives, while challenging mainstream assumptions about gender and culture. [44]

List of Native authors of note

Asian diaspora speculative fiction writers of note

Anglo-Indian speculative fiction writers

See also

Further reading

  • hooks, bell (1999). Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics. Boston: South End Press.
  • Bogle, Donald (2001). Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films (4th ed.). New York: Bloomsbury.
  • Carrington, André M. (2016). Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
  • http://www.afrocyberpunk.com/

References

  1. ^ Wabuke, Hope (27 August 2020). "Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and the Language of Black Speculative Literature". LA Review of Books. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Musings on Asianfuturism? – ED(MOND)CHANG(ED)AGOGY". 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ^ "A Reflection on Chinese and Asian American Representation in Sci-Fi and Fantasy". Santa Fe Writers Project. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  4. ^ Gullander-Drolet, Claire (2021). "Imperialist Nostalgia and Untranslatable Affect in Ling Ma's Severance". Science Fiction Studies. 48 (1): 94–108. ISSN  2327-6207.
  5. ^ Roh, David S.; Huang, Betsy; Niu, Greta A., eds. (2015). Techno-Orientalism: imagining Asia in speculative fiction, history, and media. Asian American studies today. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN  978-0-8135-7064-8.
  6. ^ Rubin, Norman A. (26 June 2000). "Ghosts, Demons and Spirits in Japanese Lore". Asianart.com.
  7. ^ Esaki, Brett J. (22 January 2020). "Ted Chiang's Asian American Amusement at Alien Arrival". Religions. 11 (2): 56 – via MDPI.
  8. ^ Smith, Andy (3 January 2020). "Alien Worlds". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  9. ^ "Ted Chiang". Penguin Random House. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  10. ^ Rothman, Joshua (5 January 2017). "Ted Chiang's Soulful Science Fiction". The New Yorker. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  11. ^ Solomon, Avi (29 January 2014). "Stories of Ted Chiang's Life and Others". Medium. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  12. ^ Ulaby, Neda (11 November 2016). "'Arrival' Author's Approach to Science Fiction? Slow, Steady and Successful". NPR. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  13. ^ Alter, Alexandra (3 December 2019). "How Chinese Sci-Fi Conquered America". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  14. ^ Liu, Ken (27 April 2024). "About". Ken Liu, Writer. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  15. ^ Sullivan, Collin (20 August 2016). "Chinese SF and the Art of Translation - A Q&A With Ken Liu". Nature.com. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  16. ^ Tonkin, Boyd (30 October 2016). "Meet the Man Bringing Chinese Science Fiction to the West". Newsweek. Retrieved 27 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status ( link)
  17. ^ a b c d e f Gullander-Drolet, Claire (2021). "Imperialist Nostalgia and Untranslatable Affect in Ling Ma's Severance". Science Fiction Studies. 48 (1): 94–108. doi: 10.1353/sfs.2021.0024. ISSN  2327-6207.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i Roh, David S.; Huang, Betsy; Niu, Greta A., eds. (2015). Techno-Orientalism: imagining Asia in speculative fiction, history, and media. Asian American studies today. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN  978-0-8135-7064-8.
  19. ^ a b "Science Fiction in Colonial India, 1835–1905". AnthemPress. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  20. ^ Parker, Henry Meredith (1835). ""The Junction of the Ocean. A Tale of the Year 2098"". openpublishing.psu.edu. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  21. ^ Dutt, Shoshee Chunder (1845). ""The Republic of Orissá; A Page from the Annals of the Twentieth Century"". openpublishing.psu.edu. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Sultana's Dream". digital.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  23. ^ words, Anil MenonBy: Vandana Singh Issue: 30 September 2013 1139 (30 September 2013). "Introduction to "Runaway Cyclone" and "Sheesha Ghat"". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 26 April 2024.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)
  24. ^ "The Beast With Nine Billion Feet | Anil Menon". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Ambiguity Machines | Small Beer Press". Small Beer Press | Really rather good books. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  26. ^ "The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction". Goodreads. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Perspective | Let's talk about wonderful Indian science-fiction and fantasy novels". Washington Post. 23 March 2021. ISSN  0190-8286. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Marlon James's Next Book Will Be 'African Game Of Thrones'". Gizmodo. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  29. ^ González, Christopher (2013), Aldama, Frederick Luis (ed.), "Latino Sci-Fi: Cognition and Narrative Design in Alex Rivera's Sleep Dealer", Latinos and Narrative Media: Participation and Portrayal, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 211–223, doi: 10.1057/9781137361783_14, ISBN  978-1-137-36178-3, retrieved 12 October 2020
  30. ^ Latinx rising : an anthology of Latinx science fiction and fantasy. Goodwin, Matthew David, Aldama, Frederick Luis. Columbus. 2020. ISBN  978-0-8142-7799-7. OCLC  1157344767.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link)
  31. ^ a b Latinx rising : an anthology of Latinx science fiction and fantasy. Goodwin, Matthew David,, Aldama, Frederick Luis, 1969-. Columbus. 2020. ISBN  978-0-8142-7799-7. OCLC  1157344767.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link)
  32. ^ Grady, Constance (2 October 2016). "In conversation with Junot Díaz: on the force field of privilege and the power of art". Vox. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  33. ^ Goodwin, Matthew David (2021). The Latinx Files: Race, Migration, and Space Aliens. Rutgers University Press. ISBN  978-1978815117.
  34. ^ Corrigan, Jen (28 April 2018). "Speculative Feminism: On Carmen Maria Machado's 'Her Body and Other Parties'". Medium. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  35. ^ Sheeran, Amy; Smith, Amanda M. (2018). "A Graphic Revolution: Talking Poetry Politics with Giannina Braschi". Chiricú Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures. 2 (2): 130. doi: 10.2979/chiricu.2.2.10. ISSN  0277-7223. S2CID  158357009.
  36. ^ Riofrio, John (1 March 2020). "Falling for debt: Giannina Braschi, the Latinx avant-garde, and financial terrorism in the United States of Banana". Latino Studies. 18 (1): 66–81. doi: 10.1057/s41276-019-00239-2. ISSN  1476-3443. S2CID  212759434.
  37. ^ Montgomery, David. "Alex Rivera's lost cult hit "Sleep Dealer" about immigration and drones is back". Washington Post. ISSN  0190-8286. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  38. ^ González, Christopher (2013), Aldama, Frederick Luis (ed.), "Latino Sci-Fi: Cognition and Narrative Design in Alex Rivera's Sleep Dealer", Latinos and Narrative Media: Participation and Portrayal, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 211–223, doi: 10.1057/9781137361783_14, ISBN  978-1-137-36178-3, retrieved 12 October 2020
  39. ^ Jessi Rae Morton (27 December 2021). ""The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez" Is A Bildungsroman Filled with Magic, Curses, and Star-Crossed Love". Southern Review of Books.
  40. ^ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (25 October 2016). Certain Dark Things: A Novel. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN  978-1250099082.
  41. ^ a b c d "Books". latinomagazine.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  42. ^ Poets, philosophers, lovers: on the writings of Giannina Braschi. Aldama, Frederick Luis, O'Dwyer, Tess. Pittsburgh, Pa. 2020. ISBN  978-0-8229-4618-2. OCLC  1143649021.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) CS1 maint: others ( link)
  43. ^ Chaviano, Daína, 1957- (2009). The island of eternal love. Labinger, Andrea G. (1st Riverhead trade pbk. ed.). New York: Riverhead Books. ISBN  978-1-59448-379-0. OCLC  268795928.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)
  44. ^ Pearson, Wendy Gay (19 October 2022), "Speculative Fiction and Queer Theory", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication, doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.1214, ISBN  978-0-19-022861-3, retrieved 25 February 2024
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