Week 13- Climate Fiction

Week 13- Climate Fictions

This week's readings introduced a new form of activism known as climate fiction. We focused on afrofuturism, a school of thought involving African-American culture in science-fiction stories. One famous afrofuturistic author is Octavia Butler, who wrote Parable of the Sower, a cautionary tale of a post-Apocalyptic society which has been destroyed in part by corporate greed. Octavia Butler recognized and embraces the uncertainty of our future, but presents a more realistic take on what most people would consider science fiction. Her work begs the question: are we pre- or post Apocalyptic? Is it happening right now?

One journal article we read is Earth Beyond Repair by Mabel Gergan. This source addresses the typical science fiction Apocalyptic tropes and encourages the thought that the "apocalypse" began when the Anthropocene began due to white colonization of foreign lands. He speaks about the nature of disaster and how climate refugees already exist, which is arguably a form of Apocalypse, depending on who you ask, of course. 

I liked this week's readings because I had never heard of climate fiction or Afrofuturism, which in my opinion are a light of hope in what seems like an extremely grim future. Although the futures depicted in most climate fictions are dystopian, I think it's important to tell these stories as a cautionary cale, which is a really great way to spread awareness about what will happen if we continue to treat the planet as we do now.

Keywords:

Afrofuturism: A method of storytelling which includes African American history and culture, which are underrepresented in science fiction

Science fiction-fictional stories which imagine the future, typically incorporating hypothetical technological advancements 

Apocalypse- Trick question: it depends who you ask!