Black face in hyperspace

ABSTRACT

The use of Black people in popular Western science fiction narratives indicates unspoken desires in authors and readers to create and accept fictional, and by extension, real worlds, where the absence or presence of blackness marks differing types of human-ness. The persistent retention of perceived ‘universal’ bodies, which qualify to represent Humanity in response to alien bodies and considerations, are not ultimately accidental. Where the Black body is present, its role remains suspect, as extant stereotypes and allusions of dispensability remain in place, and its absence allows the continuation of normality. This paper will explore these concerns, interrogating how widely accepted science fiction films and stories reproduce racialised conceptions of the future.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Raimi Gbadamosi

Raimi Gbadamosi is an artist, writer and curator. He is the head of the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria. Gbadamosi received his Doctorate in Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, London. He is a member of the Interdisciplinary Research Group “Afroeuropeans” at University of León, Spain and the “Black Body” group at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is on the editorial board of the journal African Studies, SAVVY Journal and the boards of Elastic Residence, London, and Relational, Bristol.