Futurisms

The Transmedial Fictions Working Group (TraFic) focuses on alternative futuring strategies in contemporary futurisms across media. Its goal is to understand the philosophical principles of future thinking and making around the world.

Because imagination – that faculty that expands the human mind to the size of the universe, that makes empathy possible (you have to have some imagination to put yourself in another’s shoes)-also allows us to dream. Science Fiction and fantasy posit other paths, alternative futures, different social arrangements as well as technologies, other ways that we could be. Before we do, we must dream.

Vandana Singh, "A Speculative Manifesto"

The Woman who Thought She was a Planet: And Other Stories, 2008

The 8 Working Groups

Afro and Africanfuturisms

The first of the 7 task sets engages with post-2001 developments in Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism. It explores developments in publishing industries, magazine and fanzine cultures, films and game development, development of conventions and geek cultures, artistic development, theoretical discussions and debates, and Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism’s role in inspiring refreshing and novel understandings of the politics of future making around the world.

NFR/CoF: Science Fictionality

Research contact: Marta Tveit

Middle Eastern Futurisms

The fourth task set focuses on post-2007 developments in Middle Eastern Futurisms, including Gulf-futurism, Arabfuturism, Turkish Futurism as critical discourses in artistic and architectural projects, new literary cultures and communities, the impact of the political unrest in the region during this period in shaping the imaginaries of the future, and its transmission into wider cultural debates around the world.

ERC/CoF: CoFutures

Research contact: Merve Tabur

Chinese / Sinofuturisms

The second task set deals with post-2001 developments of Chinese SF and Sinofuturisms, the rise in number of translations as well as internal growth in the genre, shifts in authorship and readership both in gender and age, the connections between Chinese SF and its relationship to technology and innovation, international presence, as well as thematic continuities with other futurisms from the region, and the formation of the Asia Science Fiction Association.

ERC/CoF: CoFutures

Research contact: Regina Kanyu Wang

Nordic Futurisms

The seventh task set explores Nordic and European futurisms both in a historical and contemporary context. With a special focus on Norwegian SF, the task set explores the history of fanzines and fan conventions, relations between different nations within the Nordic and European region, connections with international SF and its fandom outside Europe, marginal European futurisms such as those from Eastern Europe, as well as cultures of translation.

NFR/CoF: Science Fictionality

Research Contact: Marta Tveit

Indigenous Futurisms

The fifth task set focuses on post-2010 developments in the canon of Indigenous futurisms as a critical and political discourse, transnational connections between indigenous communities and shared struggles, the strong focus on environmental issues and climate justice, struggles for decolonization and political recognition, and the artistic and aesthetic demands it makes from the future.

ERC/CoF: CoFutures + NFR/AS

Research contact: TBA

South Asian Futurisms

The sixth task set explores post-2001 developments in South Asian futurisms, the role of translation and anglophone productions, diaspora engagement with the imaginaries of the future, internationalization of South Asian futures, its relations with other futurisms, with Anglo-American SF, as well as its own struggles to define an identity inclusive of vernacular traditions, new critical proliferations, frameworks and manifestos.

ERC/CoF: CoFUTURES + EU-MSCA/neoMonsters

Research Contact: Sami Ahmad Khan

Latin American Futurisms

The third task set looks at post-2001 developments in Latinx / Latin@ futurisms, its unique trajectory of development from within the concerns of Latin American shifts, its relation to other literary genres, formation of fandom communities, the connections and differences between the different Latin American nations in terms of their understanding of the future, new theoretical debates and canon-formation, and connections to other futurisms from the region, including Afrofuturisms, Chicanofuturisms, and Indigenous futurisms.

ERC/CoF: CoFutures

Research contact: Patrick Brock

Futures Studies

The eighth task set explores critical futures studies in relation to technological, environmental, and demographic changes, and maps these in the context of policy in institutional, governmental, and artistic contexts.