It’s September, 2020. The United States is in turmoil as we begin to collectively realize the cost of centuries of racism and oppression toward everyone who has been marginalized by the entrenched white, cisgender, male leaders in all branches of our society. Our biases are built into all aspects of our world, including the works of fiction we consume, and it’s easy to feel powerless when we consider how to bring about change.
Science Fiction in particular has been dominated by white male authors and content creators, ironic for a genre that arguably began with Mary Shelley. As I prepare to teach a class on science fiction and its impact on science fact, I am taking a critical eye to the reading list for the class. While I have always tried to include some diversity in the authors whose works I cover, I am both shocked and embarrassed by how overwhelmingly male and white the author list is, and what this says, both about those who have historically achieved fame in the genre, and about my own choices when browsing the aisles of my favorite bookstores.
I may not have much influence on society as a whole, but I have complete control over my syllabus. We can do better. I can do better.
And so I have set myself a challenge: construct a reading list for my course that includes zero white men. None. This will, undoubtedly, influence the topics I can discuss in my class. Originally the class was constructed by selecting topics that are covered widely in popular science fiction (asteroid impacts, space travel) where the science that’s portrayed in the fiction is, generally, wrong. We read and watch fiction, study the relevant facts, and construct our own opinion on if the fiction is actually doing a disservice to the science. I love this course. It’s weird, it’s fun, and it means I get to read a lot of science fiction for work!
This year, I’m going to (try to) let the fiction guide the course. Rather than “Science Fact vs. Science Fiction”, the subtitle may be “A Celebration of Science through Fiction”. Or it may be something else entirely. Honestly, I have no idea what will happen or if it will even be possible for me to both construct a diverse reading list and give the course structure and meaning. Note that this is a limitation of me, and the time I have available, and not one of the talented author pool in science fiction.
Because of the power structures responsible for visual media, it will be completely impossible to abolish white men from the viewing list for the course. In those instances, I will try to select for diversity in the cast.
Off we go!