Danny's sources

source 1

http://www.bscreview.com/2009/01/race-and-science-fiction-part-i-by-sarah-zettel/

Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I) by Sarah Zettel
RACE AND SCIENCE FICTION: PART ONE

The author mentioned the relationship between race and science fiction. Since “US one of world’s leading exporters of culture and viewpoint for the last half of the 20th century”(2009, Zettle), she believed that US literary brings dominant influence to world’s science fiction. The important point is that racism has been existing in American science fiction. She mentioned the history of science fiction as evidence. According to her discussion, there has been an argument that asking about rather US science fiction should mention people or beings “who are not white, American and male”(2009, Zettle) or not. The majority authors of science fictions are white and male. Moreover, they thought that the future will be the same. All human without these features are regarded as abnormal. In the late 1930s, there were three major authors John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, and Robert A. Heinlein, bringing significant impacts to science fiction. Unfortunately they were racism, and brought standards and strict rules to science fiction. First, being an author of science fiction, ones cannot have a female or foreign name. For example, an author named Catherine Moore took a male pseudonym as C.L. Moore. Second, alien race cannot triumph over human beings. It was because Campbell thought that human beings, especially the white male should be the best in the world. Zettle utilized the history of America science fiction to show the condition of racism in science fition.

source 2
http://reading.kingrat.biz/afflatus/racial-bias-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy

Racial bias in science fiction and fantasy

The author discussed about a blogger named S.M. Duke’s researches. Duke was doing a research about the race of the characters in science fiction, for studying the racial bias in science fiction. He was asking the reviewers to find out what is the racial group of the main characters. The reviewers have to write down whether the significant characters of groups are white, black or Asian. It is a interesting method for studying racism. However the author seems has distinctive opinion. First, he agreed that there is certain extent of racism in science fiction. His evidence is the assembly with groups of science fiction authors. According to his observation, large number of attender are old white American. Moreover, those have been being over-represented in science fiction. Then, he mentioned the different mind between white and black in this problem. The white would not consider it consciously. Therefore they normally would not add racial problem into the writing unless they intend to do it. In contrast, the black are still thinking the difficulties they received even though racism is not as serious as in the past. The black must think about the race of the characters. However, he also mentioned that it may not be a serious problem in science fiction because the black authors have been being under-represented. Finally, the author has suspicion on the result and effectiveness of Duke’s researches. It is because he thought that the optimal goal should be demolishing racism, both for writer and reader. However, it seems impossible.

source 3
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html

Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century," in Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (New York; Routledge, 1991), pp.149-181.

Donna Haraway has written a book about cyborg, and look at socialist-feminism through cyborg. First, she explained what is cyborg. Nowadays’ science fiction is full of cyborgs. Cyborg performs like animal, human, or machine, and has distinctive skills. Cyborg is a mixed product of machine and human body. It can be seen as a cybernetic organism and a creature of science genre. Cyborg is an important character and a new concept in science fiction. It brings confusion to the boundary and relationship between organism and machine. Therefore, many original concepts receive critique and challenge. Feminism is a typical example. People started to ask about do cyborg has gender? Or should cyborg has gender? She mentioned that the women in the world have been constructing women experience. Emergence of cyborg breaks the idea of women experience. In addition, “cyborg” exists in the post-gender world. It means that bisexuality is not constantly right, or normal. It challenges the western tradition masculinity domination. Ignoring of variation and otherness helps constructing post-modernist identity. For example, a Chinese or black women is not seens as woman in US. Also, she indicated the new political voice “women of colour.” For example, a Chinese or black woman is seen as having the negative identity. The write women ignore the non-write women.

source 4
http://www.mikebrotherton.com/2010/12/01/hard-science-fiction-and-author-gender-does-it-matter-to-you-poll/

Hard Science Fiction and Author Gender: Does It Matter To You? (Poll)

The author is interesting in science fiction and has abundant books of this category. He is wondering why no readers and publishers aware of there are relatively low in ratio of women author in science fiction. He has found that there are some female authors producing high quality genres actually. However, female has been finding it very difficult to get into the world of hard science fiction. It is because it has been the male dominant world from the history. He mentioned some strange phenomenon for evidence of racism. Some of his friends who are women authors have been asked for using male Pseudonym. According to requirement of publishers, they cannot utilize female name for publishing. Some readers provided negative comments after noticing the author is female. Those authors even received some critical mail about gender. The author wondered if this is the strategy of the marketing department of publisher. He thought that there may be not too much those kinds of readers, or the proportion is far lower than that in the past. as a result, the publishers should not provide such strict rules. “I’ve never consciously considered not buying a science fiction novel because of the gender of the author.” (2010, Poll)

source 5
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Under+strange+stars%3A+Black+writers+and+fans+explore+race+through...-a095266760

Under strange stars: Black writers and fans explore race through science fiction. (Culture).

The author looked at black experience through science fiction. He voices for the black, asking for demolishing racism. In fact, the world of science fiction is still white dominant in a large extent, including authors, editors, readers and publishers. There are sparse black science fictions in the bookstores. HE is seeking answer for why the black authors only occupy little part of science fiction nowadays. He is also asking why there cannot be more black authors and why should the black writers get into the white field? Then, he mentioned about the situation of black fiction. The whole market of black genre is far little than that if the white dominant. There are compact interaction between authors and readers. Black authors can attract more black fandom. At the same time black readers provide favorable condition for more black writers. Each writer was reader in the past, and inspired by former authors. The author encouraged black writing and reading more science fiction. There is a market that should be exploited by them. In addition, there is gender discrimination apart from racism. Problem of pseudonym brings gender barriers to authors. As for anti-discrimination, there is still little feminism genres. “There is not yet a field of "anti-racist science fiction," (2002, Piana)

Reference
Sarah, Zettel. “Things That Don’t Go Away: Race and Science Fiction (Part I)” BCS. 31 January 2009. 12 March 2011.
http://www.bscreview.com/2009/01/race-and-science-fiction-part-i-by-sarah-zettel/

King, Rat. “Racial bias in science fiction and fantasy.” Rat’s Reading. 16 February 2008. 12 March 2011. http://reading.kingrat.biz/afflatus/racial-bias-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy

Donna, Haraway. “ ‘A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century,’ in Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (New York; Routledge, 1991), pp.149-181.” 15 March 2011. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html

Poll. “Hard Science Fiction and Author Gender: Does It Matter To You” Mike Brotherton Hard SF Writer. 1 December 2010. 13 March 2011. http://www.mikebrotherton.com/2010/12/01/hard-science-fiction-and-author-gender-does-it-matter-to-you-poll/

Libero, D, Piana. “Under strange stars: Black writers and fans explore race through science fiction. (Culture).” The Free Library. 22 December 2002. 15 March 2011. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Under+strange+stars%3A+Black+writers+and+fans+explore+race+through...-a095266760