Research and Teaching with Speculative Fiction

Sarah E. Truman is Associate Professor in English literary education, cultural studies, and arts methods at the University of Melbourne

Research and Teaching with Speculative Fictions is an imaginative transdisciplinary collection that demonstrates the power of how speculative stories can unsettle assumptions, spark new ways of knowing, and open possibilities for more just and relational futures on pressing social, political, and ethical issues, from AI and genomics to indigenous architecture. An invaluable resource for scholars, educators, and students alike.

• Foreword, Steven Shaviro (Wayne State University, USA)Introduction: Speculative Fictioning Across Disciplines, Sarah E. Truman (University of Melbourne, Australia)Part I: Worlding Future Justices1. Creating Liveable Worlds: A Reflection on the Legacy of Octavia Butler’s Parables, Danielle Purifoy (University of North Carolina, USA)2. Edge of Tomorrow, Disability, and the Science Fiction of Technological Enhancement, Kelly Fritsch (Carleton University, Canada)3. Unwriting Amazon, Max Haiven (Lakehead University, Canada)4. Who Writes the Future? Speculative Fiction as Method for Pursuing Black, Native, and Afro-Indigenous Futures, Kenia D. Hale (Porch Water Press, USA)5. Abolition Science Fiction, Phil Crockett Thomas (Stirling University, UK)Part II: Ethics, Sciences, and Alien Maths6. Bioethics, Science-Fiction, & the Myth of Post-Racial Futures, Christopher Mayes (Deakin University, Australia)7. Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum, a 12th Century Islamic Science Fiction Novel, and Wisdom, Sikeena Karmali Ahmed (Warburg Institute, UK)8. On Maps, Twins, and 3D Printing, Chris Davies (Monash University, Australia)9. Machine Learning in Genomics: Judgement Day, Nirmal Vadgama (Stanford University, USA)10. Alien Mathematics, Elizabeth de Freitas (Adelphi University, USA)Part III: Affect, Media, and Sensory Aesthetics11. Speculative Meditation: Not So Distant, Chad Shomura (University of Colorado, USA)12. Performing Speculations: Rehearsing Futures through Speculative F(r)ictions, Rumen Rachev (Utrecht University, the Netherlands)13. Feeling Climate Futures Now, Michael Richardson (University of New South Wales, Australia)14. Mythical Species, Michael Salu (Independent Artist, UK)15. Alien, Script, and the Gift: Some Thoughts on Character Design, Mark-Making, and the Concept of Generosity, Yam Lau (York University, Canada)Part IV: Uneven Schoolings and Pedagogical Promises16. Dreaming, Country, Ignorance, Hope?, Aleryk Fricker (Deakin University, Australia)17. Tending the Tea Dragons, Sid Mohandas (Middlesex University, UK)18. Science Education and the Problem of Time, Tristan Gleason (Humboldt University, Germany)19. The Borg, Star Trek’s Disability Problem, and the Future of Interdependence in Special Education in England, David Ben Shannon (Sheffield University, UK)20. Edtech Sci-Fi, Ben Williamson (University of Edinburgh, UK)Part V: Chronotopias and Remembering Otherwise21. SF and the Profession of Projection, David T. Fortin (University of Waterloo, Canada)22. Severance, Storytelling and Digital Sociology, Ash Watson (University of New South Wales, Australia) 23. Truth, Fantasy, and the Historian’s Quest, Matthew R. Keynes (University of Melbourne, Australia)24. Drowned Worlds, New Economies: The Power of Science Fiction, Ali Riza Taskale (Department of Social Sciences, UK)25. Broken Earths & Building Worlds, Kathryn Yusoff (Queen Mary University London, UK)Index