Thursday, July 3, 2008

People of Colour in SciFi & Fantasy Carnival

POC In Sci-Fi Carnival #11 - The Eye Of The Beholder

‘Human beings fear difference,’ Lilith had told him once. ‘Oankali crave difference. Humans persecute their different ones, yet they need them to give themselves definition and status.'
-- Octavia Butler's Xenoginis - Adulthood Rites, P80-81


Hosted on Livejournal by Abydosangel, the 11th Carnival focuses on things the media uses to demonstrate or mark characters and environments as Alien or Other that to POC are common place and everyday. How what makes us, us becomes alien culture, or signs of alien being and self. Making our cultural signifiers all about "a stranger in a strange land."

This 11th Carnival has a different format than usual. Discussion is open now in comments and the main entry will be edited to show submitted links (which can be added via comment or emailed to the host). The deadline for submitting links found online or links to your own thoughts in an essay format is JULY 18th 2008.

I admit to finding it an unusual format, but one I think works for this Carnival's theme and topic. This Carnival is about PoC discussing this othering in the genre and for Allies to discuss how they absorbed these perceptions, or began to see past them, or need help realizing them.

Please go look, read Abydosangel's thoughts, think and SAY SOMETHING.

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The 10th Carnival, by the way, was posted on June 5th at Karnythia's livejournal, HERE. I was moving and without net access so it didn't get promoted as it usually does here on Seeking Avalon.

The 10th's Carnival's focus was on People of Colour in Young Adult Fiction; characters and creators. There are several insightful pieces; one in particular on Jacob Black of Twilight fame and another that stands out immediately about the Princess Problem. We've all dealt with the former in some form or other. But for PoC, there's always, always the added detail that most, practically all of the Princesses don't look like our little girls.

Please don't anyone comment here and bring up Mulan. Disney makes it quite clear that Mulan is a heroine, NOT A PRINCESS. She's not included among the princesses.

Go, read, think, enjoy.

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