Para*Doxa: African Science Fiction
Para*Doxa is seeking submissions of previously unpublished essays on subjects related to AFRICAN SCIENCE FICTION In 2010, Pumzi, the first Kenyan science fiction movie, won the best short film award at the Cannes Independent Film Festival, and the South African co-production District 9 was nominated for multiple Oscars. In 2011, Nigerian-American Nnedi Okorafor became the [...]
Interview with Robin R. Means Coleman on Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present
It is a great privilege to read and reflect on horror in its multiple manifestations and layers of meaning. Not all of this is pleasant, but it is nevertheless enjoyable. This is the case with the book Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present (Routledge, 2011) by Robin R. Means [...]
Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films
There is a new book that explores an important facet of horror. The book is Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from 1890 to the Present (Routledge, 2011), by Robin R. Means Coleman. From King Kong to Candyman, the boundary-pushing genre of the horror film has always been a site for provocative explorations of [...]
Invisible Universe: A History of Blackness in Speculative Fiction
How have African Americans been represented in, played a part in, and contributed to speculative fiction? How have we come from depictions of African Americans in speculative fiction (defined broadly to include horror) in black exploitation horror like Blacula to more positive representations in the action-horror film Blade? These interesting questions and others are explored [...]
Robert J. Sawyer, “A long time ago,” and science fiction’s social commentary
I recently came across a portion of a lecture given by science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer divided into three installments on YouTube. The lecture is titled “‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….’ my ass!”. Each of the installments can be viewed at the bottom of this post. In the lecture [...]
Sci-Fi Insight on Current Events: The Slave’s Right to Punish His Persecutors
America seems doomed never to be able to move beyond its struggles with racism. Despite having elected an African-American president, and other great strides since the days of slavery and the Civil Rights era, charges of racism continue to haunt the country in pop culture. From Al Sharpton connecting race with Michael Jackson’s death, to Jessie [...]
Joshua Bellin: A Tale of Two Kongs
Previously I interviewed Joshua Bellin, author of Framing Monsters: Fantasy Film and Social Alienation (Southern Illinois University Press, 2005), where he interacted critically with various fantasy films. While horror and science fiction films have received a lot of critical analysis, this has not been the case with fantasy films. Thankfully, Bellin moves beyond this in order [...]
Joshua Bellin: Fantasy Film and Social Alienation
I have read many books and academic articles that probe deeply into horror and science fiction film, television, and literature, but rarely can such analysis be found related to fantasy. For those interested in such an exploration seek no more. Joshua Bellin has done us a great service, providing us with both an academic exploration [...]
Planet of the Apes: An American Myth
One of the films that I found most enjoyable growing up was Planet of the Apes (1968). So many things stand out in this film, from the great musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, to the cutting-edge makeup of the time by John Chambers, to the great screenplay and twist ending by Michael Wilson and with [...]
