دانلود کتاب آینده‌نگری کارائیبی و فراتر از آن: گفتگوهایی با نویسندگان ادبیات فولکلور، فانتزی، علمی و داستان‌های گمانه‌زن

It was inconceivable to me that at the time of creating the Caribbean Science Fiction Network podcast, some of the interviews I would have with writers of the genre would eventually make their way into a book. But such is the dynamism of Caribbean literary production and, more specifically, Csf (Caribbean science and speculative fiction, fantasy, and folklore). What started as a pandemic project eventually morphed into research with a theoretical and even pedagogical purpose. This turning point came after presenting and henceforth publishing a paper titled “Configuring the Caribbean Through sf” in 2022. In that paper, I attempted to map a theoretical direction for the study of Csf. As I did then, I continue to use the term “Csf” as an umbrella term. My preference for this term is an attempt to avoid being drawn into a debate between science fiction and speculative fiction, since, as I say in the Chapter 1, such a debate about genre is not as productive as what the genre represents. However, because I recognize that to not choose between any one genre is itself a choice, I expand on the “why” of Csf as well. The main intent of this book, however, is not to exhaust a relatively unproductive debate about genre. Instead, my purpose is to highlight the complex interconnectedness of the scale of Csf. I do this through the selected interviews chosen for their thematic foci, which coalesce into a reflection of the diverse geographical whole encapsulated by the fragmented linguistic, cultural, political, and historical Caribbean region. Markedly different from my 2022 publication is my attempt in this book to paradoxically work backward to advance the theory of Csf that I was after. What you will encounter, therefore, in this book is a granular attempt at peeling back the layers of what Csf comprises. An important layer that I expand on in this book is Caribbean futurism. It became apparent in the aftermath of the publication of “Configuring the Caribbean Through sf” that the genre needed greater explication of its place in the trajectory of Caribbean literary and cultural thought. While it is easy to label literature as inherently speculative, when it comes to speculations of futurity, a more precise label is required. So too is a more precise theoretical lens. For this reason, I expand on Caribbean futurism as an overarching esthetic movement within which Csf is located. The goal here is to resist the all-tooconvenient “box” of Afrofuturism into which critics place Caribbean sf literature. Sure, Csf can be analyzed through an Afrofuturist lens, but why not create a distinct, that is, Caribbean futurism lens to sufficiently engage with the many dimensions of Caribbeanness – dimensions that might be otherwise excluded from the racialized parameters of Afrofuturism? This is, of course, not to say that any discussion of race be excluded – such a discussion is impossible. However, a Caribbean futurism approach recognizes the significance of place, the ebb and flow of belonging to the region that Afrofuturism – dare I say – can only partly address. A Caribbean futurism approach is thus keenly fixated on the particular manifestations of being and belonging to the Caribbean. These manifestations are categorized into seven dimensions, each discussed in the substantive chapters. As I explain in the Introduction, these seven dimensions serve to give each a certain degree of specificity even as they converge into each other. Most importantly, I encourage readers to focus on the dimensions as a constellation of Caribbean thought, which can thereafter be extended into other directions and dimensions. This project has a glaring limitation – a predominance of native Englishspeaking Caribbean writers. The limitation is owed to a few factors beyond my control, such as the availability of non-English-speaking writers to be interviewed as well as my non-English-speaking ability and lack of translation skills. It is the reason why all the interviews for the podcast are in English and partly the reason why the majority of the writers are either native English speakers or are from parts of the English-speaking Caribbean. In a very small way, I have tried to balance the relative lack of non-native English writers with the interventions by writers such as Suzanne Césaire, Édouard Glissant, and Antonio Benítez-Rojo, whose theoretical contributions emanate from and extend beyond the Caribbean. What has been a limitation for me can prove an opportunity for others. I hope to therefore inspire better books that focus on Csf and the like, especially those that can be even more granular than I have been in this book. The potential for future studies offered by this book adds another dimension to the title Caribbean Futurism and Beyond. This title, of course, borrows from the iconic catchphrase by the fictional animated character Buzz Lightyear – the inspiration for that name deriving from the Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Lightyear’s signature line “To infinity and beyond” encapsulated the tireless quest for limitless possibilities. More recently, and as if to cement the cultural impact of four words from an animated character, the catchphrase has been adopted by scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lindsey Nyx Walker’s To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery (2023). Their book is as much about the science of the universe as it is about mythology, art, history, and literature. My project, like theirs, is a similar exploration of insights, ideas, and speculations of the future. Astute readers will recognize that although I resist the debate between science fiction and speculative fiction, I still use “science fiction” in the title of this book. This is not a contradiction and has nothing to do with a preference for genre. Instead, the title merely serves to align with the name of the podcast from which this book is derived. Nevertheless, and in the spirit of the title, I invite future studies that continue to question and go beyond the boundaries of genre. After all, this is what a Caribbean futurist approach encapsulates: a conscious attempt at challenging how experiences in the region have been framed and how new ways of thinking about the Caribbean can be framed.