Science Fiction as Social Justice
We all have ways of dealing with the unjust world. We may express our dissatisfaction through anger, destruction, or in a more constructive way. To solve problems we must move forward. Some social justice movements use science fiction to do this. Noel Merino defines social justice as “the justice of social institutions where, to be just, each person is given what he or she is due, whether liberty, wealth, or some other social good” (Merino p.14 2014). This is quite far from how our world exists today, but it is not an impossible goal.
When dealing with injustice we can get tied up in what exists and how things are. “For all of our ability to analyze and critique, [we’ve] become rooted in what is. We often forget to envision what could be” (Imarisha 2015). Here science fiction takes center stage: it allows us to reimagine the world around us. It gives us an opportunity to make a better future and step out of the narrow vision of what already exists. Reimagination allows us to take lessons learned from the past and use them to improve the future.
Science fiction not only involves new worlds, but it is a way of providing a lens to look back on our own world with. As writers of science fiction, we cannot help but incorporate aspects of real life issues in our writings of imagined utopias or dystopias. Adrienne maree brown says that “The stories we tell can either reflect the society we are a part of or transform it. If we want to bring new worlds into existence, then we need to challenge the narratives that uphold current power dynamics and patterns” (brown p.279 2015). To create a new world we must first imagine it. Reimagination considers a future of possibilities we might otherwise think impossible or not think of. Science fiction does not always have to be about the future, either. It can also be a reimagination of the past in order to propell the future.
As the underdog, or minority, it may be difficult to think a better future exists. This is the powerful tool that reimagination gives to all. Even people who have never been in a position of power can at least imagine a world where they are. Brown says that “it is our radical responsibility to share [the worlds inside of us], to plant them in the soil of our society as seeds for the type of justice we want and need” (brown p.279 2015). This is the first step to creating change.
Walidah Imarisha even says that “all organizing is science fiction” (Imarisha 2015). Rather than focusing on the unlikeliness and ‘fiction’ part of science fiction, visionaries like Imarisha and brown focus on the future and possibility aspects of science fiction. She says that “science fiction is the only genre that allows us to question, challenge, and re-envision everything all at once” (Imarisha 2015).
One example of a social justice movement is the disability rights movement. LIFECIL, the LIFE Center for Independent Living, says that “Many cultures of the world have treated persons with disabilities as having less worth than able-bodied people have” (LIFECIL 2016). According to the Anti-Defamation League, “people with disabilities have pushed for the recognition of disability as an aspect of identity that influences the experiences of an individual, not as the sole-defining feature of a person” (ADL 2005). People with disabilities have faced stereotypes, bias, and social and economic marginalization for centuries.
An interesting point made is that “disability is the one minority that anyone can join at any time, as a result of a sudden automobile accident, assault, or disease. Fewer than 15% are born with their disabilities” (LIFECIL 2016). Even the most privileged person could suddenly become disabled. Through a science fiction lens, the disability rights movement can be reimagined in many ways.
Mia Mingus’ short story “Hollow” is a little dystopic but mostly utopic. In her story people with disabilities, called the “Unperfects” are sent to a moon to die, but instead they have built up a thriving community for themselves. The steps towards making that community were far from easy, though. “They owed it to their departed teammates and to each other to keep moving toward the world they believed was possible” (Mingus p.115 2015). Another reimagination for disability rights might be a utopia where everything is designed so that it is accessible to everyone. Maybe there is magic that causes objects and spaces to morph around and conform to each individual who uses them. Maybe there is a world where disabilities are powerful. Another reimagination might be that an alien race that dominates Earth and redesigns everything so that it suits them and the historically “perfect” humans find themselves in a position where they cannot access everything easily. This story could help non-disabled people imagine the struggles of the disabled. “People with disabilities have been a hidden, misunderstood minority, often routinely deprived of the basic life choices that even the most disadvantaged among us take for granted (LIFECIL 2016). There are infinite possible reimaginations.
When we write science fiction stories to empower the future, “we are talking about a world that doesn’t currently exist. But collectively dreaming up one that does means we can begin building it into existence” (Imarisha 2015). Reimagining through science fiction is the beginning of creating change for the better.
Sources:
"A Brief History of the Disability Rights Movement." A Brief History of the Disability Rights
Movement. Anti-Defamation League, 2005. Web.
brown, adrienne maree and Walidah Imarisha. 2015. Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements
"Disability Rights Movement | LIFE Center for Independent Living." LIFE Center for Independent Living. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2016.
Imarisha, Walidah. 2015. "Rewriting the Future: Using Science Fiction to Re-Envision Justice," in Bitch Magazine (Issue #66, Spring).
Merino, Noel. 2014 Social Justice. Introduction (pp. 14-17)
Mingus, Mia. “Hollow” 2015. Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements. (pp. 109-121)
