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Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film PDF

213 Pages·2008·5.48 MB·English
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​Black​Space THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ​Black​Space ​ ​Imagining​Race​in​Science​Fiction​Film​ adilifu​nama​ ​ univerSity​of​texaS​preSS,​auStin Copyright © 2008 by the University of texas press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2008 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to: Permissions University of Texas Press P.O. Box 7819 Austin, TX 78713-7819 www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html ♾ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso Z39.48-1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nama, Adilifu, 1969– Black space : imagining race in science fiction film / Adilifu Nama. — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-292-71697-1 (cloth : alk. paper) — isbn 978-0-292-71745-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Science fiction films—History and criticism. 2. Blacks in motion pictures. 3. African Americans in motion pictures. I. Title. pn1995.9.s26n36 2008 791.43'615—dc22 2007033323 ​for​nia,​nizam,​and​tamu THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ​contentS aCknowledgments ix introdUCtion 1 Chapter 1. Structured Absence and Token Presence 10 Chapter 2. Bad Blood: Fear of Racial Contamination 42 Chapter 3. The Black Body: Figures of Distortion 70 Chapter 4. Humans Unite! Race, Class, and Postindustrial Aliens 96 Chapter 5. White Narratives, Black Allegories 123 Chapter 6. Subverting the Genre: The Mothership Connection 148 notes 173 bibliography 183 index 189 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK acknowledgmentS Although this project is my brainchild, the completion of it has come about only because of the talents, insights, patience, and support of colleagues, friends, and family. I must thank Sohail Daulatzai, who reviewed early drafts of the manuscript and shared critical advice concerning the direction and approach of the project. His suggestions proved invaluable, and I have truly benefited from his intellectual sincerity, keen ability for political analy- sis, and willingness to be a sounding board for my impromptu brainstorm- ing sessions. He is a great academic colleague but an even better friend. I also want to thank Christine Acham for her generosity. She is an unselfish scholar who gave of her time, expertise, and experience whenever I needed advice about navigating the world of academic publishing. Freelance copy editor Rosemary Wetherold and the professional and insightful editorial staff of the University of Texas Press were extremely helpful in improving and clarifying the expression of my ideas in this project. I would like to express eternal gratitude to Cynthia Usher, my mother- in-law, for caring for my children, which allowed me to finish this book. In addition, I must recognize the generosity of Pauline Goodin, who also helped take up the slack when my professional commitments created sched- uling conflicts. A special note of thanks goes out to Bill Germano and Megan Giller, who were way ahead of the curve in recognizing what I was doing. I am also grateful to Anthony Turner, Yusef Doulatzai, Tiffany B., Wesam, and Mau- rice (Mo) for their enthusiasm and encouragement. To my mom, Marquetta Rodgers, and dad, Art Nixon, thank you for let- ting me be me. Most importantly, to my wife, Tamu, thank you. You kept the faith, repeatedly brought sunshine to my cloudy interludes, and made time disappear.

Description:
Science fiction film offers its viewers many pleasures, not least of which is the possibility of imagining other worlds in which very different forms of society exist. Not surprisingly, however, these alternative worlds often become spaces in which filmmakers and film audiences can explore issues of
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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.