Animals and Science Fiction

“This is a strong contribution to the field(s) of animal studies and science fiction. Indeed, I would recommend it in both fields separately as well as in the combined field where I work. I am especially impressed by the generous range of texts, from bacteria to games to film to novels, and with some recognition of work beyond the British/American hegemony.” —Joan Gordon, Professor Emerita, Nassau Community College; Co-editor, Science Fiction Studies Animals and Science Fiction is the first edited collection to be published focusing on the intersection of animal studies and science fiction studies. It offers a broad range of theoretical approaches and primary source texts—including novels, short stories, poetry, film and TV, photography, erotica, video games, and urban planning documents—that explore the ways works of science fiction can transform how we see and interact with nonhuman others. With an eye toward more just multispecies futures, it argues that speculative imaginaries can be pivotal in changing attitudes toward and understandings of nonhuman animals in our world today. Chapters appeal to those interested in biopolitics, posthumanism, new materialism, ecocriticism and the environmental humanities, ocean humanities, postcolonial studies, critical race studies, Indigenous studies, global sf studies, film studies, and food studies. Taken together, the collection works to showcase a diverse and growing field of scholarly inquiry into animals and science fiction. Nora Castle is an IAS Early Career Fellow at the University of Warwick. She recently completed her PhD, entitled, “Food Futures: Food, Foodways, and Environmental Crisis in Contemporary Science Fiction,” which explored the future of food in/as science fiction through meat, plants, kitchens, and farms as thematic streams. Giulia Champion is a Research Fellow (Anniversary Fellowship) at the University of Southampton. Her project investigates different communities’ engagement with and representations of the seabed through culture, science communication and international policy.