Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics

Abstract There has been a growing interest within the field of International Relations inusing popular culture, especially Sci-Fi, to think about and teach International Relations. However, what the Sci-Fi IR authors have drawn from is quite limited, consisting of movies, shows, and novels produced...

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Main Authors: Fernanda Barasuol, Thiago Rodrigues, Thiago Borne
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro 2024-12-01
Series:Contexto Internacional
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-85292024000301100&lng=en&tlng=en
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author Fernanda Barasuol
Thiago Rodrigues
Thiago Borne
author_facet Fernanda Barasuol
Thiago Rodrigues
Thiago Borne
author_sort Fernanda Barasuol
collection DOAJ
description Abstract There has been a growing interest within the field of International Relations inusing popular culture, especially Sci-Fi, to think about and teach International Relations. However, what the Sci-Fi IR authors have drawn from is quite limited, consisting of movies, shows, and novels produced in the Global North. When it comes to the triptych ‘Sci-Fi/IR/Global South’ the availability of analytical material is scarce. That is the gap this Special Issue hopes to address. In this introductory essay, we would like to suggest that both theory and science fiction, despite their differences, can provide important thinking spaces for the broadening of our understanding of current issues and the conception of alternative futures. To that end, we begin by briefly describing the evolution of Sci-Fi as a genre, emphasizing its connections to historical contexts and Eurocentric perceptions. We follow by introducing some trends in Global South Science Fiction and end with an analysis of some issues at the intersection of IR and SF. We also use this last section as an opportunity to introduce the articles included in the special issue.
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language Spanish
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
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series Contexto Internacional
spelling doaj-art-e5b8d55f03a647a39eeebd0e1954030a2025-08-20T01:58:23ZspaPontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroContexto Internacional1982-02402024-12-0146310.1590/s0102-8529.20244603e20240055Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International PoliticsFernanda Barasuolhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2368-8226Thiago Rodrigueshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0962-0391Thiago Bornehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4809-5147Abstract There has been a growing interest within the field of International Relations inusing popular culture, especially Sci-Fi, to think about and teach International Relations. However, what the Sci-Fi IR authors have drawn from is quite limited, consisting of movies, shows, and novels produced in the Global North. When it comes to the triptych ‘Sci-Fi/IR/Global South’ the availability of analytical material is scarce. That is the gap this Special Issue hopes to address. In this introductory essay, we would like to suggest that both theory and science fiction, despite their differences, can provide important thinking spaces for the broadening of our understanding of current issues and the conception of alternative futures. To that end, we begin by briefly describing the evolution of Sci-Fi as a genre, emphasizing its connections to historical contexts and Eurocentric perceptions. We follow by introducing some trends in Global South Science Fiction and end with an analysis of some issues at the intersection of IR and SF. We also use this last section as an opportunity to introduce the articles included in the special issue.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-85292024000301100&lng=en&tlng=enScience FictionSci-FiGlobal Southpostcolonialismfuturities
spellingShingle Fernanda Barasuol
Thiago Rodrigues
Thiago Borne
Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics
Contexto Internacional
Science Fiction
Sci-Fi
Global South
postcolonialism
futurities
title Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics
title_full Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics
title_fullStr Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics
title_full_unstemmed Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics
title_short Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics
title_sort tropical utopia tropical dystopia global south science fiction and critical approaches to international politics
topic Science Fiction
Sci-Fi
Global South
postcolonialism
futurities
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-85292024000301100&lng=en&tlng=en
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AT thiagorodrigues tropicalutopiatropicaldystopiaglobalsouthsciencefictionandcriticalapproachestointernationalpolitics
AT thiagoborne tropicalutopiatropicaldystopiaglobalsouthsciencefictionandcriticalapproachestointernationalpolitics