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ABSTRACT
Given the increasing popularity of the science-fiction genre, its capacity for worldbuilding and its long-durée vision, coupled with both the difficulty of discussing issues of migration in today’s world as something more than a problem of the present and the necessity to go beyond this presentism, the author argues that science-fiction films provide an excellent tool for peace education inside and outside the classroom in general and to address migration in particular. This article discusses the why and how of using science fiction films for peace education, which the author claims is not necessarily taught in the classroom or special programs but should also be seen as part of lifelong learning/continuous education.
Acknowledgment
This article was originally intended for the JPE special issue “Migration, Cultural Encounters, and Peace Education” (Vol. 20 Issue: 2, 2023) but could not be included in that issue due to time constraints. Nevertheless, it should be considered as a supplement to that issue. The author would like to thank Dr. Vidar Vambheim for his valuable guidance and work as the editor of that special issue.
Disclosure statement
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Moon Village Association (MVA).
Notes
1. See Smith (Citation2010) for a discussion on the politics of such agenda changes and how different topics were taken up during different time periods Smith identifies the most studied issues during the Cold War and Smith (2010, 151) for a new focus. This tendency to offer incomplete or quick prescriptions in addition to, or even instead of, furthering our basic understanding of international security affairs, is directly related to the fact that security is often driven by current events, and involves issues of life and death.
2. Here are the concepts in the words of the cited authors: Nexon and Neumann (Citation2006, 12) suggest that “Popular culture thus serves as a medium for what critical analysts of science-fiction call ‘ontological displacement. Such works invite us to step back from our ingrained suppositions about a certain phenomenon and our vested interests in ongoing debates to gain a different perspective upon our social world.’ Suvin who qualifies science fiction as the literature of cognitive estrangement (Citation1979, 4) defines science fiction ‘as a literary genre of its own, whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the interaction of estrangement (Verfremdung, ostranenie, distanciation) and cognition and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the dominant motions about the implied addressee’s empirical environment’ (Citation1988, 99)
3. A simple look into the works presented in the panels of the Art and Peace Commission of the International Peace Research Association would attest to the breadth of scholarly work in this field.
4. The original quote was grammatically corrected by the author, by adding the articles the in italics.
5. This was the case during IPRA General Conference in Leuven in 2008 which hosted a short film festival organized by the Flemish Peace Institute. Also TIFF, Tromsø International Film Festival, while not an academic event, encompasses the NOPFA award (Norwegian Peace Film Award).
6. Although this exercise was not with films, it shows even young children can benefit from what science fiction has to offer in peace education.
7. One source states, though, that fantasy and science fiction films are not superior to documentaries when it comes to student learning in the classroom; that they may be alienating or more difficult to interpret for some students and thus may need to be accompanied by “student preparation and extensive debriefing” (Irish, Sherman and Watts Citation2023, 1). Except for this source, the author finds that most of the scholarly literature on the use of films and science fiction films suggest positive influences.
8. Dr. Who is a Time Lord from planet Gallifrey, although his partner is from Earth.
9. In Star Trek: The Original Series.
10. In Star Trek: The Next Generation.
11. In Star Trek: The Next Generation
12. AlAwadhi and Dittmer (Citation2022, 611) claim that it is not only the content but also the timing of the release of the films is essential in reading their meaning.
13. See Berg (Citation2012) for a discussion on Sympathetic Aliens in science fiction cinema.
14. See Irish, Sherman and Watts (Citation2023) who warn against the science fiction genre only in-class teaching.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Itır Toksöz
Itır Toksöz is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at Dogus University and the National Coordinator for Turkiye at Moon Village Association (MVA). She served as the President of EuPRA (European Peace Research Association) between 2012-2017. Her primary research areas are International Security; Peace and Conflict Studies; Science, Technology, and International Relations (focusing on Space Politics), and Arts and International Relations.