The Big News: Star Wars purchased by Disney
Two subjects dominated the media this week in North America, giving us a break from the Presidential campaign, especially for us non-Americans. The first was Sandy. The second, of course, was this:
Science-fiction
Representations of indigenous peoples in science-fiction / 2
Science-fiction renders many representations of various ethnic groups. Authors find inspiration in human cultures to create imaginary worlds and characters, but also try to represent what they know of these cultures through their writing. Last week I wrote briefly about some such representations of indigenous peoples in science-fiction.
Representations of indigenous peoples in science-fiction
As I announced on Monday, this week I will be sharing science-fiction material which relies on representations of indigenous peoples or seems inspired by them. The list will be updated as I identify more such material. I will be analyzing some of these episodes next week. Should you wish to watch them, I know X-Files and Stargate SG-1 are available on Netflix. They offer a one month free trial. Enjoy!
First Japan, then Mars: Percival Lowell’s fascination with alterity
Last week I posted about the relation between my passion for science-fiction and my career in anthropology. I stated that as I was growing up, I often challenged myself to imagine how aliens would look like if they were drastically different from humans. I also expressed my feeling that science-fiction authors, despite trying to imaging extreme otherness in the form of aliens, rarely create something that differs from the Western conceptions of what sentient beings are.
Trekkies and Trekkers
Hello Geekverse!
I posted about science-fiction and Star Trek this week, so it seemed fitting that I stick with this theme for my Friday recommendations. I selected a few videos about Star Trek for you. The first one is the documentary Trekkies. If you haven’t seen this one, I strongly recommend it! And although I’m not crazy about the intro song in the second movie, Trekkies 2, I like that it explores a more international fan base. Notice the Stargate fan?
The Geek Anthropologist 