Speculative Fictions and Societal Vulnerabilities
Fragility, Collapse, and Transformation
Speculative Fictions and Societal Vulnerabilities
Fragility, Collapse, and Transformation
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Description
This collection critically explores the inherent fragilities within global political, social, and ecological systems that were exposed and amplified by the world's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributors from around the globe argue the response laid bare vulnerabilities in our social structures such as authoritarianism, nationalism, racism, colonialism, and labor exploitation-systems that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable during moments of crisis. These societal fragilities not only brought new attention to vulnerabilities but also highlighted divergent paths of possibility away from then-familiar and entrenched social and environmental narratives and practices.
The collection is a critique of the “returning to normal" narrative, arguing that the future must be shaped from the present moment. Contributors argue speculative fiction is a powerful tool for imagining and exploring alternatives to current societal paradigms-enabling us to envision futures that are more just, resilient, interconnected, and environmentally sustainable. These narratives serve both as warnings and as blueprints, reflecting the imagination's long-standing role in challenging societal norms and proposing new social and environmental models.
Drawing on the tools of postcolonial studies, digital media analysis, posthumanism, environmental studies, and epistemology, contributors unfold speculative fictions in multiple media, reimagining the social, environmental, cultural, and infrastructural vulnerabilities so commonly narrated in SF as opportunities to envision living in ways that are more equitable, sustainable, and peaceful.
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Table of Contents
Jonathan Elmore, Louisiana Tech University and Jenni G. Halpin, Savannah State University
Chapter One: Making Kin with a Dingo Named Sue: The Trouble with the Chthulucene in McKay's The Animals in That Country
Laura-Jane Devanny, Northampton University
Chapter Two: The Cat at the End of the World: Reimagining Disanthropy through Stray
Imogen Grigorovich and Alie Tacq, Utrecht University
Chapter Three: Navigating Fragility and Hope in Jenny Offill's Weather
Jonathan Elmore, Louisiana Tech University
Chapter Four: Ray Bradbury and Democratic Literacy
Robert McParland, Felician University
Chapter Five: From Illusion to Awakening: Society and the Vulnerable Human Psyche in SF
Julie A. Hawkins, University of Adelaide
Chapter Six: What Makes a Person Asian?: Communal Membership and Personhood in After Yang
Caleb Ward, Georgia State University
Chapter Seven: Building the World: TTRPGs and Collaborative Critical Societies
Misha Grifka Wander, independent scholar
Chapter Eight: Positive Energy, Time Travel, and The Light Brigade
Jenni G. Halpin, Savannah State University
Chapter Nine: The Right Hand of Light: Revising Ursula Le Guin's Omelas
Anthony Lioi, The Juilliard School
Product details
| Published | Apr 08 2027 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 9798216558187 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Series | Environment and Society |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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