Department or Program
Environmental Studies
Abstract
This thesis approaches science fictional representations of reproduction and other-than-human lives in the context of anthropogenic catastrophe. The term “lifemaking” is defined and centralized in the analysis to expand the breadth of the discussion to include reproductive communities, ontologies, and non-biological life. Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Dawn, Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl, Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea, and Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series each offer unique commentary on lifemaking in the pursuit of hope. The thesis proposes that each text purports to expand existing understandings of what it means to be human and that science fiction is uniquely situated to link hope to resolving injustices in the present day. Hope lies in fundamentally reimagining existing social, political, and economic systems and expanding the horizons of what constitutes humankind.
Level of Access
Restricted: Archival Copy [No Access]
First Advisor
Tyler Harper
Date of Graduation
5-2024
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Recommended Citation
Gaither, James. Science Fictional Lifemaking: A Reproductive Framework for Hope in Dystopia
Number of Pages
65
Components of Thesis
1 pdf file