McMASTER UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

SCIENCE FICTIONTHE INTERDISCIPLINARY GENRE

a conference in honour of Robert J. Sawyer’sarchival donation to the University Library Collections

ROBERT J. SAWYER

sponsored byMcMASTER UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, the OFFICE of ADVANCEMENT, and the FACULTY of HUMANITIES

SEPTEMBER 13 – 15, 2013

DAVID G. HARTWELL

JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO

JULIE E. CZERNEDA

and CHRIS SZEGO

ROBERT CHARLES WILSONÉLISABETH VONARBURG

with special guests:

McMASTER UNIVERSITY PRESENTS

SCIENCE FICTIONTHE INTERDISCIPLINARY GENRE

a conference in honour of Robert J. Sawyer’sarchival donation to the University Library Collections

ROBERT J. SAWYER

sponsored byMcMASTER UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, the OFFICE of ADVANCEMENT, and the FACULTY of HUMANITIES

SEPTEMBER 13 – 15, 2013

DAVID G. HARTWELL

JOHN ROBERT COLOMBO

JULIE E. CZERNEDA

and CHRIS SZEGO

ROBERT CHARLES WILSONÉLISABETH VONARBURG

with special guests:

Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary GenreAn international conference featuring Robert J. Sawyer

September 13-15, 2013

Time Event Location7:00 - 9:00pm Reception courtesy of Mills Memorial Library

and the Office of University Advancement

• WelcomebyKenCruikshank,ActingDean,Facultyof Humanities• Presentationof theSawyerArchivebyVivianLewis,UniversityLibrarian• InauguraladdressbyRobertJ.Sawyer• Thanksfromtheconferenceorganizers,CathyGrise,Associate

Professor,Departmentof EnglishandCulturalStudiesandNicholasSerruys,AssistantProfessor,Departmentof French

Faculty ClubDining Room

Time Event Location9:00 - 10:30am Invited author speakers

JohnRobertColombo(presentedbyRobertJ.Sawyer) “400Yearsof RobSawyer”

ÉlisabethVonarburg(presentedbyNicholasSerruys)“MythologiesandFeminismamongtheParadigmsof SF”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

Time Event Location10:45 - 12:15pm Session 1A: Anthropology and SF 1 (Moderator: Grace Kehler)

LisaYasek(GeorgiaTech)“LiberatingtheFuture:FeminismandAnthropologyinWomen’sPulpEraSF”

DominickGrace(Western)“UnderMySkin:LovingtheAlieninPhyllisGotlieb”

ShawnMalley(Bishop’s)“CyborgSites:RidleyScott’sPrometheus”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

10:45-12:15pm Session 1B: Looking Back and Looking Forward (Moderator: Lisa Kabesh)

HerbKauderer(AssociateProfessor,HilbertCollege&PhDCandidate,Buffalo)“FedoraHatsandtheGreatGazoo:PopCultureReferencesinRobertJ.Sawyer’snovelTriggers and Red Planet Blues.”

RebeccaMcNulty(MACandidate,Universityof Florida)“‘LetMeRevealYourFuture!’:RobertSawyer’sUseof PredictioninNear-FutureNarrative”

CarrieJ.Cole(Universityof Arizona)“ScienceandtheStagingof theSpeculativeImagination:InterdisciplinaryandIntertextualPerformanceStrategies”

Chester New Hall

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

10:30 - 10:45am break

Time Event Location10:45 - 12:15pm Session 1C: Ethics & (Transworld) Identity*

(Moderator: Élisabeth Vonarburg)

JenniferGreen(MACandidate,McMaster)“Lasémiotiquecommeméthodededistanciationetd’intelligibilitédansTerre des Autres deSylvieBérard”

GillianBenson(PhDCandidate,Toronto)“Transgressionscorporelles,transformationsociale:épistémologieetéthiqueauseindesmondesscience-fictionnels”

IsabelleFournier(PhDCandidate,Buffalo)“L’identitéculturellequébécoisedansMutationsdeRobertJ.Sawyer”

*enfrançais

Faculty ClubDining Room

Time Event Location1:30 - 3:00pm Session 2A: Anthropology and SF 2 (Moderator: Kathryn Allan)

PatrickB.Sharp(CaliforniaState,LosAngeles)“TheUtopianUsesof Anthropology:L.TaylorHansenandRobertJ.Sawyer”

AninditaBanerjee(Cornell)“Russia’sAfrofuturism:T/racingUtopiainZamyatin’sWe”

JasonVest(Universityof Guam)“ChasingDarwin:Race,Space,and Star Trek: The Next Generation”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

1:30 - 3:00pm Session 2B: Posthumanism, the Singularity and Ethics (Moderator: Paul Fayter)

A.J.Boulay(MACandidate,Laurentian)“Human-ComputerInterfaceintheworkof RobertJ.Sawyerandethicalapproachestothetreatmentof TechnologicalSingularity”

AndrewKidd(PhDCandidate,Minnesota)“FactoringUnity:E.O.Wilson’sConsilience andtheScienceFictionof Saw-yerandVanVogt”

NickMatthews(UndergraduateStudent,Waterloo)“Throughaglass,brightly:EthicsinRobertJ.Sawyer’sScienceFiction”

Chester New Hall 102

1:30 - 3:00pm Session 2C: Pedagogy and SF (Moderator: Wendy Pearson)

DavidDeGraff (AlfredUniversity)“SawyerandCzernedaintheClassroom”

DanielleD.Gagne(AlfredUniversity)“ScienceFictionintheclassroom”

AdamGuzkowski(PhDCandidate,Trent)“Webof Trust:TransformativeLearningandTechnocultureinCoryDoctorow’s Little Brother”

Chester New Hall 106

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

12:15 - 1:30pm lunch

3:00 - 3:30pm break

Time Event Location1:30 - 3:00pm Session 2A: Anthropology and SF 2 (Moderator: Kathryn Allan)

PatrickB.Sharp(CaliforniaState,LosAngeles)“TheUtopianUsesof Anthropology:L.TaylorHansenandRobertJ.Sawyer”

AninditaBanerjee(Cornell)“Russia’sAfrofuturism:T/racingUtopiainZamyatin’sWe”

JasonVest(Universityof Guam)“ChasingDarwin:Race,Space,and Star Trek: The Next Generation”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

1:30 - 3:00pm Session 2B: Posthumanism, the Singularity and Ethics (Moderator: Paul Fayter)

A.J.Boulay(MACandidate,Laurentian)“Human-ComputerInterfaceintheworkof RobertJ.Sawyerandethicalapproachestothetreatmentof TechnologicalSingularity”

AndrewKidd(PhDCandidate,Minnesota)“FactoringUnity:E.O.Wilson’sConsilience andtheScienceFictionof Saw-yerandVanVogt”

NickMatthews(UndergraduateStudent,Waterloo)“Throughaglass,brightly:EthicsinRobertJ.Sawyer’sScienceFiction”

Chester New Hall 102

1:30 - 3:00pm Session 2C: Pedagogy and SF (Moderator: Wendy Pearson)

DavidDeGraff (AlfredUniversity)“SawyerandCzernedaintheClassroom”

DanielleD.Gagne(AlfredUniversity)“ScienceFictionintheclassroom”

AdamGuzkowski(PhDCandidate,Trent)“Webof Trust:TransformativeLearningandTechnocultureinCoryDoctorow’s Little Brother”

Chester New Hall 106

Time Event Location10:45 - 12:15pm Session 3A: Contemporary Canadian SF (Moderator: Susan Knabe)

VeronicaHollinger(Trent)“Time,History,andContingencyinRobertCharlesWilson’sScienceFiction”

AmyJ.Ransom(CentralMichigan)“Hockey&ScienceFictioninCanada:‘ACombinationSeenRarelyButinQuébec’”

KristenShaw(McMaster)“Mapping“It2.0”:TheUtopianPotentialof VirtualSpaceinKarlShroeder’s“ToHiefromFarCilenia”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

10:45 - 12:15pm Session 3B: Psychoanalytical and Theological Approaches(Moderator: Cathy Grise)

DavidCorman(MA,Brock,IndependentScholar)“Prometheus,JungandSawyer:reimaginingourselvesandourrelationshipwithtechnology”

CameronEllis(PhDCandidate,Trent)“Sawyer’s‘NeanderthalParallax’Trilogy:AJungian(re)interpretationof Rousseau’sEupsychia?”

JamesChristie(Winnipeg)“RememberingtheFuture:ScienceFictionandtheEmergingArtof DialogueTheology”

Chester New Hall 102

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Time Event Location3:30 - 5:00pm Special Para-literary Panel: From the Manuscript to the Bookshop

(Moderator: Robert J. Sawyer)

Guestspeaker:DavidG.Hartwell(Tor)“TITLETBA”(Oneditinganthol-ogies)

Guestspeaker:ChrisSzego(Bakka-Phoenix)“TITLETBA”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

Time Event Location9:00 - 10:30am Invited author speakers

(Moderator: Chris Szego? TO BE CONFIREMED)

RobertCharlesWilson Readingfromhisforthcomingnovel,Burning Paradise

JulieE.Czerneda“KeepingItReal:WorldbuildinginScienceFictionandFantasy”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

6:00 - 8:30pm banquet

10:30 - 10:45am break

Time Event Location1:30 - 3:00pm Session 4A: “Moving minds, transforming bodies: subjectivities as

provisional, fluctuating, newly created” (Moderator: Kristen Shaw)

LauraWiebe(McMaster)“Negotiating“Reality”withLanguage(and)Games:KarlSchroeder’s“ToHiefromFarCilenia””

JonathanSmith(ABD,WilfridLaurierUniversity)“Be(MoreorLess)Human:RecognizingEmotionsInDreamingIdols,CuriousWeapons,andOtherAssortedObjectified“Others””

AnneSavage(McMaster)“TravellingintheCountryof theMind:GregBear’sQueen of Angels/Slant andpersonalitycrisis”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

1:30 - 3:00pm Session 4B: Philosophy-Fiction (Moderator: Robert J. Sawyer)

KateS.Kelley(Missouri)“RobertJSawyer’sLettertoCorinthians:body-minddualisminMindscan and Rollback”

JosephA.Novak(Waterloo)“Consciousnessintheworksof RobertSawyer”

DavidRobinson(Laurentian)“Games,Minds,andSciFi”

Chester New Hall 102

Time Event Location10:45 - 12:15pm Session 3C: From McMaster to Mars

(Moderator:JohnRobertColombo?TOBECONFIREMED)

PaulFayter(IndependentScholar,formerlyof York/UofT)“CanadiansonMars:Abrief reviewof RobertJ.Sawyer&Co.,withaliteraryandcontextualinterpretationof FrederickPhilipGrove’s

‘TheLegendof thePlanetMars’(1915)”

MarkLeslieLefebvre(Author)“Digitalpi:TheTranscendenceof DigitalPublishing”

HendrikPoinar(McMaster)“TITLETBA”(oncytosinemethylation)

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

Time Event Location3:30 - 5:00pm Session 5A: Disability and Queer Studies

(Moderator: Jocelyn Sakal Froese)

KathrynAllan(IndependentScholar)“BackwardsandBeyond:NeuroscienceandDisabilityinRobertJ.Sawyer’sWWWTrilogy”

DerekNewman-Stille(PhDCandidate,Trent)“Placesof Suffering:SpacialisingDisabilityandTraumainLeahBobet’sAbove”

WendyGayPearson(Western)“QueerTime,Postcoloniality,andCanadianSF”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

12:15 - 1:30pm lunch

3:00 - 3:30pm break

Time Event Location1:30 - 3:00pm Session 4A: “Moving minds, transforming bodies: subjectivities as

provisional, fluctuating, newly created” (Moderator: Kristen Shaw)

LauraWiebe(McMaster)“Negotiating“Reality”withLanguage(and)Games:KarlSchroeder’s“ToHiefromFarCilenia””

JonathanSmith(ABD,WilfridLaurierUniversity)“Be(MoreorLess)Human:RecognizingEmotionsInDreamingIdols,CuriousWeapons,andOtherAssortedObjectified“Others””

AnneSavage(McMaster)“TravellingintheCountryof theMind:GregBear’sQueen of Angels/Slant andpersonalitycrisis”

Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall 111)

1:30 - 3:00pm Session 4B: Philosophy-Fiction (Moderator: Robert J. Sawyer)

KateS.Kelley(Missouri)“RobertJSawyer’sLettertoCorinthians:body-minddualisminMindscan and Rollback”

JosephA.Novak(Waterloo)“Consciousnessintheworksof RobertSawyer”

DavidRobinson(Laurentian)“Games,Minds,andSciFi”

Chester New Hall 102

Time Event Location3:30 - 5:00pm Session 5B: Prospective Perspectives

(Moderator: Veronica Hollinger)

LoryKaufman(Author)Whatisthesocialvalueof thesciencefictionwriter?

ClairePeacock(Saskatchewan)Atwood’s“WonderTale”:OldBoundariesandNewEncounters

SherrylVint(UCRiverside)“ToCorruptandControlthePresentinOrdertoWintheFuture”:Continuum asPost9/11Television

Chester New Hall102

Closing of conference

Kathryn Allan, Independent Scholar <kathryn@academiceditingcanada.ca>

Backwards and Beyond: Neuroscience and Disability in Robert J. Sawyer’s WWW Trilogy

InRobertJ.Sawyer’sWWWtrilogy(Wake,Watch,Wonder),CaitlinDeckerisablindteenagerwhoisgiventechnologythatenableshertoseeboththephysicalworldandthevirtualrealmof theinternet.Shebecomesafigurethatstandsbetweenahumanpastwhereintelligenceischaracterizedassingularand“primitive”(representedbytheapesHoboandVirgil)anda“posthuman”futurewhereintelligenceismulti-facetedandsupportedbyagreatnumberof organicandinorganictechnologies(i.e.thespontaneousAI,Webmind).Framingmyreadingof thebookswithinDisabilityStudies,IproposethatCaitlin’sprostheticenhancement,aswellasthenovelkindsof intelligencedisplayedbyboththeapesandWebmind,disrupttheWesternculturalconstructionof disabilityasabiomedicalconditionthatcanbeknown,containedandcontrolled. InCulturalLocationsof Disability,SharonSnyderandDavidMitchellcontendthatthedisabledbodyisof-tencharacterizedastemporallyinflux:“Asavectorof humanvariability,disabledbodiesbothrepresentathrowbacktoahumanprehistoryandserveasthebarometerof afuturewithout‘deviancy’”(32).Giventhatcurrentneurosciencedemonstratesthatthebrainisfarmorecomplexthanpreviouslyunderstood--movingawayfromthestudyof thesingleneurontopositingthat“communities”of neuronsacttogethertocompleteatask,allowingforthedirectintegrationof prosthetictechnologyintothebrain(seeMiguelNicolelis’BeyondBoundaries)--theWesternbiomedicalmodel’sconcep-tionof disabledbodiesas“primitive”orlimitedmustbereconsidered.Iwilltheorizehowthethreatstonormativehumanembodimentdisplayedbythe“enhanced”disabled/deviantbodiesinSawyer’sWWWtrilogyreflecttheadvancementsinneurosciencethathavedisruptedthedistinctionbetweenthe“primitive”and“human”being.Myreadingof thesciencefictionserieswilladdressthenecessityof changingourWesternunderstandingof whatconstitutesintelligenceandability,andwhichbodiesarethereforeentitledtoautonomyandself-determination.

Anindita Banerjee, Cornell, <ab425@cornell.edu>

Russia’s Afrofuturism: T/racing Utopia in Zamyatin’s We

EvgenyZamyatin’sWe,firstpublishedinEnglishtranslationin1924byDuttonof NewYorkandsubsequentlyhailedbyOrwellastheinspirationfor1984,hasbeencanonizedasthequintessentialdystopianallegoryof atotalitarianworldorder.Thispaperarguesforautopianreadingof Webytracingthecentralyetcompletelyunexaminedcomponentof raceinthenovel.Usingthenarrator-protagonist’salter-egoR-13,the“poetwiththeAfricanlips,”asapointof depar-ture,IarguethatZamyatin’siconicworkencodesaninsurrectionistanthropologizationof thefuturewheretheaffirmationof selfhoodbecomesindistinguishablefromtheperformanceof Blackness.Suchareading,inturn,revealsanunknownpre-historyof trans-continentalcross-pollinationbetweentheRussianrevolutionaryavant-garde--of whichtheauthorof Wewasaprominentmember—andtheconstellationof writersandactivistswhowouldsubsequentlyconstitutetheHarlemRenaissanceinthecitywhereZamyatinfirstfoundanaudience.

Gillian Benson, PhD Candidate, Toronto, <gillian.benson@gmail.com>

Composite bodies, compassionate societies: knowledge, perspective, and ethics in science fictional world-building

Storiessetinimaginaryworldsallowfortheprojectionof philosophicalproblemsintoanexperimentalframework.Sciencefiction’sinquiriesarescientificinoperation,inthatthefictionalterritoryinwhichthenarrativetakesplaceprovidesfertilegroundforthoughtexperiments.TwoFrench-Canadiannovelsdemonstratethistendencytogreateffect:bothSylvieBérard’sOf WindandSand(TerredesAutres,2004)andÉlisabethVonarburg’sTheSilentCity(Lesilencedelacité,1981)explorequestionsof genderandracialethics,astheyarisefromproblemsof knowledge.Bothnovelsdescribecharactersofferingmarginalisedperspectives.Vonarburgfeaturesbeingswhosebodiesarecapableof bothmaleandfemalepresentation,whileBérard’screatureshaveinterspeciesorigins.Thehybriditydetailedinthenovels

suggestsanepistemologicalproblem,whereinpersonalexperienceof theworldthroughthefilterof abodydelineateswhatcanbeknown.IsabelleStengers,philosopher,definescharactersaspartialobservers,throughwhomquestionsof knowl-edgearedefinedbythecharacters’limitations.Aswelearninthestoriesathand,technologicalmodificationsallowforacertaintransgressionof theseboundaries.Nevertheless,limitsareimposedbythecharacters’subjectivity:DonnaHaraway(ACyborgManifesto)describescyborgsasnecessarilypartialbeings,andbothBérard’sandVonarburg’scharactersfitthisdescription.Assuch,theycannotobtaincompleteknowledgeof theirworld.Bothstorieschroniclethedevelopmentof asocialethicalframeworkasaconsequenceof thefragmentedepistemologiesof itsmembers.Eachconcludeswiththecreationof anopen,blendedcommunity,reinforcingacollectivevaluetosubjec-tivity:knowledgegleanedfromsubjectiveexperienceallowsforimprovedethicaloutcomesbywayof amoreegalitarian,pluralisticsocialstructure.Epistemologicalconcernsthushaveadirectrelationwithmoralissues,andthetopicof thispresentationisananalysisof theseimplicationsastheyoccurinthenovels.

A.J. Boulay, MA Candidate, Laurentian,<aj_boulay@laurentian.ca>

Human-Computer Interface in the work of Robert J. Sawyer and ethical approaches to the treatment of Techno-logical Singularity

Thispaperwillsurveytheworksof RobertJ.Sawyerforexamplesthatwillhelpdemonstratetheimportanceof HCIinthetreatmentof theSingularity.Theseideaswillbesupportedbyopinionsof respectedphilosophersandcomputerscientistsandstrongfutureperspectiveswillbeprovidedbyexpertsinthefieldof HCI.RobertJ.Sawyerhasdevelopedtheideasof I.J.Good,VernorVingeandRayKurzwieldthroughsuchnovelsashisWWWseriesandMindscan.Theseideascenteraroundthenotionof TechnologicalSingularity,anideathatbeganinsciencefictionwhereartificialintelligencesurpasseshumanintelligence.However,thereisaprimafaciecasefortheproblemof theSingularityanditisnowdiscussedbycomputerscientistsandphilosophers.Inmanyof hisfictionalscenarios,RoberthasdescribedHuman-ComputerInterfaces(HCI),suchasprostheticbioniceyestotreattheblind,bio-syntheticsystemsthatinterfacewithhumanconsciousness,andotherexamples.Moreover,authoritiessuchasVernorVingehaveprovidedsomepossiblewaystoaddresstheconcernsof theSingularityinpresentationstoNASA(1993)andinalmostallexamplesthathementionsthereisinclusionof someformof HCI.PhilosophersDavidChalmersandAndyClarkhavepublishedonthetopicof theSingularityandHuman-ComputerInteraction(1998-2008)underthetitleof “TheExtendedMind”.Thisnotionsuggeststhattechnologies,likeiphones,arecurrentlybeingusedtofacilitateahuman-computersystemthatisgreaterthanthehumanalone.Thus,itisevidentthatarealdomainof actioninaddressingtheSingularityisinthenicheof HCI,asubdivisionthatcombinescomputerscience,psychologyanddesignmethodology.Mostimportantly,thequestionsof ethicsandvaluesinregardtotheSingularitymayfindthegreatestinfluencewhenappliedinthisniche.

James Christie, Winnipeg,<j.christie@uwinnipeg.ca>

Remembering the Future: Science Fiction and the Emerging Art of Dialogue Theology

DialogueTheology,establishedinJuneof 2012asaninterdisciplinarystreamintheMasterof ArtsinSpiritualDisciplinesandMinistryPracticesintheFacultyof Theologyof TheUniversityof Winnipeg,maybestbedefinedas“theartanddisciplineof bringingChristiantheologyintointentionalconversationwithotherreligionsandworldviewsforthesakeof ‘mendingtheworld.’”Dialoguetheologyisinspiredbythegroundbreakingworkof luminariesinthemoldof HustonSmithandKarenArmstrong,andbypivotalthinkersof thestatureof HannahArendtwhowrote,“Wearemosthumanwhenweareindialogue.”Theintersectionof sciencefiction,ethicsandtheology/religiousstudiesisobvious:sciencefictionistheclosestmodernandpostmodernanalogytobiblicalprophecyextant.FromHeinlein’s“If ThisGoesOn...”toHerbert’sDunetoMcCarthy’sTheRoad,thereferencesarelegion.Inadditiontothisinherentprophetictendency,RobertSawyerhasenhancedthedialoguearoundthequestion,“Whatdoesitmeantobehuman?”Rarelyhasoneprac-titioneraddressedsocogentathemeinsomanyintriguing,engagingandsignificantways.FromourdeeprootsinHomi-nids,HumansandHybridstoastartlingfutureinCalculatingGod;fromthequandariesof thetechno-humanspectruminMindScantotheevolutionof intelligenceinWake,WatchandWonder,Sawyeropensupnewdimensionsof dialoguewith

scienceandsocietyforthetheologian.ThispaperwillemploySawyer’sworkinanattempttoadvancetheobservationof SriJawaharlalNehruattheopeningof thethenCeylonAcademyof Sciencein1961,that“Thetimeispastforpoliticsandreligion;thetimehascomeforscienceandspirituality.”

Carrie J. Cole, Arizona,<carriejcole@gmail.com>

Science and the Staging of the Speculative Imagination: Interdisciplinary and Intertextual Performance Strate-gies

PeterNichollscloseshisentryonhardsciencefictionintheEncyclopediaof ScienceFictionbystatingthat“whilearigorousdefinitionof ‘hardsf ’maybeimpossible,perhapsthemostimportantthingaboutitis,notthatitshouldincluderealscienceinanygreatdetail,butthatitshouldrespectthescientificspirit;itshouldseektoprovidenaturalratherthansupernaturalortranscendentalexplanationsfortheeventsandphenomenaitdescribes.”Thismayseemindirectoppositiontoboththeritualisticrootsof theatreandperformanceandthepsychologicalrealismthatdominatesmuchof themodernWesterntheatricalcanon.However,justasRobertJ.Sawyerhascalledsciencefiction“theliteratureof juxtapositions”,sciencefictioninthetheatrebecomestheembodiedperformanceof thesejuxtapositions.ThispaperexamineswhatLindaHutcheonreferstoasthe“palimpsestuousintertextuality”of adapting/adoptingthetenetsof hardsf asagenreintoperformancestrategiesof twoworldpremieresciencefictionstageplays.Thefirst,JenniferHaley’sSusanSmithBlackburnPrizewinningplay,TheNether,investigatesthe“moralcomplexityof ourincreasinglyvir-tualexistence”bycouplinganearfuturevirtualrealitywiththeframeworkof aproceduralcrimedrama.Thesecondplay,TheBargainandtheButterfly,devisedbyTheGhostRoadTheatreCompany,explores“thesurvivalof thehumanracethroughtheprismof neurology,bio-genetics,andpsychology.”Bothproductionsgroundtheirdramaticstructuresinscience;bothextrapolatethatscienceintotheirfictionalworldsinamannerintegraltothecentralconflictof thenarratives.However,Iargueeachplayengagesdifferentperformancestrate-gies,workingtoexpandtheatremakers’vocabularyof thespeculativeinperformance.

David Corman, Independent Scholar

Prometheus, Jung and Sawyer: reimagining ourselves and our relationship with technology

Literatureprovidesaspacetoquestionpersonalidentityand‘humannature’.Orunderstandingchangeandusuallycoin-cideswithradicalleapsintechnologyandinvention.Thetransitionfromhuntergathererstofarmers,theindustrialrevo-lution,theatomicage,andthedestructivepowerof thenuclearbombhaveallforcedustore-conceptualizetheourplaceintheworld.Withtheexponentialgrowthincomputertechnology,thesingularityisaveryrealpossibility–thepotentialof computerstodesignandmanufactureincreasinglyadvancedgenerationsof potentiallyconsciousmachineschallengesdeeplyheldbeliefsaboutconsciousness,personalidentityandthehuman‘soul’.Sciencefictionprovidesaspacefromwhichtoexaminefutureadvancesinscienceandtechnologybyutilizingthephilo-sophicaltoolof possibleworldstoexplorewhatwecouldhave,stillmight,orcanchoosetobecome.Thisprojectisdividedintothreesections:thefirstexaminestheGreekmythsof Prometheusandthedepictionof technologyandinventionascontrarytohumannature;thesecondtakesupCarlJung’s’conceptof integrationasawaytohealthepsychethroughareconciliationof apparentopposites;andthethirdwillexploretheworkof RobertSawyer(especiallytheNeanderthalParallax)asanattemptataJungianintegration–abringingtogetherseeminglyopposingconceptionsof thehumanbeing–throughtechnology.Sawyer’sworkrevealsandquestionsconceptionsof humannaturewhileseveralof thecentralcharactersinSawyer’sworkcanbeviewedasanattempttoreconcilewaysof life,andexpressionsof humanity,thatoftenseematoddswithoneanoth-er.Tyingthethreesectionsof mypiecetogether,IhopetomakethecasethatSawyerhasinheritedthelegacyof Jungandcapitalizesontheinherentpotentialof sciencefictiontousetechnologyasalensthroughwhichtoviewapossibleworldotherthanourown–remindingusthatwehavechosentobecomewhatweare,andthatwemightalwayschoosetobeotherwise.

David DeGraff, Alfred University,<degraff@alfred.edu>

Sawyer and Czerneda in the ClassroomIliketoteachsciencewhilestudentsaredoingsomethingtheyalreadyenjoy,whetherontheskislopes(ThePhysicsof Snowboarding),thinkingaboutaliens(LifeintheUniverse)orreadingsciencefiction(ScienceinScienceFiction).ForthispaperI’dliketodiscusshowIuseMindscanbyRobertJSawyerandSurvivalbyJulieECzernedaintheclassroom.Boththesenovelsaresoakedinsciencesocompletelythateachchaptercouldhaveawholeclassperioddevotedtoit.InCzerneda’sSurvival,themetaphorsof biologyinfectthewholestorystructuresothatstudentscanlearnbiologi-calprinciplessuchasnaturalselection,ecosystemsandreproductivestrategieswithoutanylonginfo-dumps.Theadvantag-esof r-strategyreproductionbecome,notjustanothertermtolearn,buthorrifyinglyreal.Onecouldarguethatconsciousnessstudies,thesubjectof Mindscan,cannotfitthegoalsof asciencecourse.Therearenoexperimentsthatcanbedoneatthemomentthatcantestthelocationof themind,whetherconsciousnessdrivesourzombiebodiesorif consciousnessif aemergentpropertyfromthecomplexityof thebrain.Thereinliesthebeautyof sciencefiction:thenovelistheexperiment.Wecanseehowthescientificmethodcouldbeused.Withthefirst-personnar-ration,weseethethoughtprocessesof Jakebothbeforeandafterthemindscanprocedure.Weseethemechanicalnatureof abiologicalmindinJakesvegetativefather,andagaininthepersonalitychangeafterJakehasbrainsurgeryonthemoon.Thescientificmindsetof aworldthatcanbeknown,testedthroughexperiments,thenotionthatallmysteriescanbesolvedpermeatestheworksof bothSawyerandCzernedainawaythatmakesthemperfectauthorstostudyinacoursesuchasthis.

Cameron Ellis, PhD Candidate, Trent,<cameronellis84@gmail.com>

Sawyer’s ‘Neanderthal Parallax’ Trilogy: A Jungian (re)interpretation of Rousseau’s Eupsychia?

FrankandFritzieManuel’s1979tomeUtopianThoughtintheWesternWorldorganizesthehistoryof Utopiaintoaseriesof ‘constellations’.Nestledinthemiddleistheirconstellation‘Eupsychiasof theEnlightenment’whereintheymentionthefollowingonRousseau:“Rousseau’seupsychianlegacyisthefantasyof aperfectlyautonomous,fulfilled‘I’foreveryman,thewholenessof acommunal‘I’thatisanorganicunity,andtheintegrationof theentire,individual‘I’withthecommunal‘I’withhardlyarippleoneithersurface”(440).Rousseau’sappealtothe“healthypsychologicalattributesof maninahypotheticalstateof nature”posedecidedlyvalidconcernstoanycriticsensitivetothe‘essentializing’tendenciesof Enlightenmentthought;however,Rousseau’sattentiontotheutopiannatureof themind,soul,psyche,orstateof theindividualisalientothosepresentlylivinginlatemod-erncapitalism:acultureinwhichtheindividualissituated(reified)primarilyasaproductivesitefortheconsumptionof commoditiesandpoliticalideologies.Hastheeupsychiabeenwhollycoopted?athingof thepast,relegatedtoahistorical‘constellation’?Myargumentisdecidedlyno.Sawyer’s‘NeanderthalParallax’offersaSFnarrativewherebyEupsychiamaybethoughtanewwithoutfallingvictimtoper-ilsof essentialism.Thatistosay,Sawyer’sTrilogyallowsforEupsychiatobebroughtbackintoutopiandiscourse,duringatimewherethereisresurgenceintryingto(re)thinktheUtopianinanotherwiseanti-utopianculturalmilieu.UsingthepsychoanalyticapproachspecifictoCarlJung,Iattempttounpackthenatureof Sawyer’seupsychiaintermsof therecon-ciliationof archetypalopposites.ThisDeeppsychologicalapproachwillbepresentedasonewayof interpretingEupsychiainnon-essentialisttermswhilesimultaneouslysustainingacritiquethathingesondualisms.

Paul Fayter, Independent Scholar, <paulfayter@gmail.com>

Canadians on Mars: A brief review of Robert J. Sawyer & Co., with a literary and contextual interpretation of Frederick Philip Grove’s ‘The Legend of the Planet Mars’ (1915)

Asanhistorianof science(especiallyof Darwinism),of theology,andof sciencefictionIhaveexploredthequestionof extraterrestriallifeforthirty-fiveyears,focusingonMarsasamultidisciplinarycasestudyforthepasttwenty.In

mycollectingandbibliographicworkonthelasttwocenturiesof MartianmaterialInoticedacuriouspaucityof MartianstoriesinCanadianliterature(aboutwhichIamanamateur).Therearethousandsof post-1800textscoveringfictional,speculative,andnon-fictionaltreatmentsof Mars,Martians,andvoyagestoandfromtheRedPlanet.Notsurprisingly,foraplanetnamedaftertheRomangodof war,accompaniedbytwosmallsatellitesnamedforMars’stwinsons,DeimosandPhobos,agreatmanystoriesimaginedMarsasanalienlandscapeforwildadventureandpulpybattlesandromances.Notunexpectedly,mostof theprimarysourcesIwasgatheringcamefromFrance,theU.K.,Germany,Italy,andAmerica.WhataboutCanada?ApartfromrecentstoriesbyRobSawyer—i.e.,Endof anEra(1994),“TheBluePlanet”(1999),“ComeAllYeFaithful”(2003),“IdentityTheft”(2005),“BidingTime”(2006),andRedPlanetBlues(2013)—andafewotherexam-ples,Iwasdrawingblanks.WasCanadainsulatedfromhistoricepidemicsof internationalMartianmania?I’venotbeenobsessiveinmysearchingforCanadiansources;inmattersMartianthescientific,theological,andliter-aryactiondidlieelsewhere,afterall.However,insearchingmyownfilesafewyearsago,IcameupwithforgottennotesI’dmadeafteratriptoWinnipegaboutanunpublishedpoemsetonMars,writtenbyFrederickPhilipGrove(1879-1948),preservedintheUniversityof Manitoba’sArchives,anddated“1915”i.e.,twoyearsafterhebeganworkonConsiderHerWays(1947),andtwoyearsbeforeEdgarRiceBurroughs’sJohnCarterof Marsseries(1917-1943).Mypaperwillexaminethiscentury-oldtextwhich—likeRobSawyer’sfresh,genre-blendingstories—raisesimportanthumanmoralandreligiousquestionsfromanimaginedextraterrestrialperspective.“TheLegendof thePlanetMars”deservestobebetterknownbyCanadiansf readersasaneglectedbutworthyadditiontotheliteratureonMars.Anearlier,shorterandunpublishedversionof mypaperwasdeliveredattheAcademicConferenceonCanadianScienceFictionandFantasyatToronto’sMerrilCollectionin2005.

Isabelle Fournier, PhD Candidate, Buffalo,<ifournie@buffalo.edu>Quebec’sliteraturecountsitsfairshareof novelsdepictingonesideoranotherof Quebec’sculturalidentity;howeverauthorsfromoutside“Labelleprovince”rarelyventureinthisavenue.Amongtheexceptions,RobertJ.SawyeroccasionallyincludesFrench-Canadiancharactersinhisnovels,asitisthecaseinFrameshift.BeingfromQuebecmyself,itwasparticu-larlyinterestingandintriguingtoencounteraFrench-CanadianprotagonistinaSFnovelwrittenbyanAnglophoneauthor.Throughtheexperienceof PierreTardivel,aMontreal-borngeneticistwhomovedtoCaliforniaforhiswork,Frameshifthighlightsculturaldifferencesbetweenthetwoneighbouringcountries(CanadaandtheUSA),includingsomeculturalaspectsrelevanttoQuebec’sculturalidentity.Whilethenovelcapturesflavoursof theessentialCanadianexperienceof needingtoleaveforafullerrealizationof self,thisbookistheAnglophone’stakeontheFrancophone’sversionof theex-perience.Inthispresentation,Iwillcompareandcontrastthevariousrepresentationsof thevaluesandstereotypesof theUSAandCanada,includingQuebec,astheyappearintheprintedversionof thenovelitself andinthe“deletedscenes”,anddiscusstheAnglophoneviewof theQuebecexperienceof leaving.Tofurtherdevelopmyargument,acomparisonwithJacquesGodbout’sUnehistoireaméricaine,forexample,willlikelybeincludedtopresentaFrench-Canadianauthor’sperspectiveonthisexperience.

Danielle D. Gagne, Alfred University, <gagne@alfred.edu>

Science Fiction in the classroom

Oneof themajoradvantagesof usingsciencefictionintheclassroomistheabilitytoexplore“whatif…”Moreover,goodsciencefiction(thekindthatisbasedonactualscience)facilitatesstudents’abilitytoconsidercurrenttechnologyandthe-oryandconsidertheimplicationsforaplausiblefuture.Thispaperexploresissuesof agingpresentedinRobertSawyer’snovel,Rollback.StudentsinanAdultDevelopmentandAgingcoursereadRollbackinadditiontoastandardtextbook.Studentcommentssuggestedthatthebookcomplementedthecoursewell,andprovidedauniqueandsurrealinsightintoagingandissuesof “gettingold”andmadetheconceptsdiscussedinclasseasiertounderstand.Forexample,wediscussedtheoriesof lon-gevityinclass(i.e.,whetheragingwascausedbyfreeradicals,shorteningtelomeres,etc.),andthenfollowedwithadiscus-sionof howtheRollbackprocedureaddressedthesetheories–whydidn’titworkforonepersonandnottheother?Wetalkedaboutphysicalandsensorychanges,andthensawthemanifestationsof thosegradualandinsidiouschangesasDontalkedabouthowhenavigatedeverydaylifebeforeandaftertheprocedure.Thestoryalsoprovidedabackdropforvalues

clarification--manystrenuouslyobjectedtoDon’scheating,whichledtotalksof what“deathtouspart”means,exactly,andwhetherourviewsof marriageandcommitmentmayneedtoberevisitedif ourlifespansregularlyexceedthecenturymark.Overall,studentratingsindicatedthatreadingRollbackhelpedthemtothinkaboutaginginwaystheyhadn’tpreviously,andofferedinsightintotheagingprocessthatthetextbookdidnot.Thereinisthevalueof sciencefiction–topromptstudentstoquestionwhatmightbewithintherealmof possible.

Dominick Grace, Brescia, Western,<dgrace2@uwo.ca>

Under My Skin: Loving the Alien in Phyllis Gotlieb

GaryK.Wolfehasarguedthatstoriesof human/alieninteractionrestonacentraltension,“theoppositionbetweenmanandnot-man”(204);“Eventoconceiveof analienintelligenceistoconceive[...]of aninvasionof one’sownper-sonalitybyoutsideforces,aviolationof one’scommunitybystrangers”(205).PhyllisGotliebchallengesthisformulationwhenheraliencats,theUngrukh,disguisethemselvesashumansviahypnoforming,aprocesswherebytheirappearanceisconcealedfromhumanobservers,whowillseethemashumaninstead.Theprocessalsoinvolvesanimplantationontothehypnoformedalien’smindof theexperiencesandmemoriesof thekindof creatureheorsheisbeingdisguisedas.Khreng,thehypnoformedalien,knowsthat,asaresult,“hismindwouldalwaysbethreadedwithwispsof alienmemory”(33).Amoreintimateinvasionof personalspaceisdifficulttoimagine,butherethealienisinvadedbythehumanmind.ThisisinkeepingwithGotlieb’spracticeof insistingonthecommonalityamongallsentients,notmerelyhumanoids.Indeed,shehasthesefelinealiensrefertoeachotheras“man”and“woman.”Onemightarguethatsuchapracticeisanthropocentricspe-ciesism,assomehavearguedthatUrsulaK.LeGuin’suseof themasculinepronountodescribetheambisexualcharactersinTheLeftHandof Darknessperpetuatesthesexiststereotypesthenovelattemptstochallenge.However,justasGenlyisconfrontedbyhisownsexistpreconceptionswhenEstravenbeginstoassumefemaleform,soarereadersshockedoutof theirpreconceptions,asderivedfromthepronounreference,whenthattransformationtakesplace.Asimplematterof languageusestripstheimplicationsof thereader’spreconceptionsbare.Similarly,byrequiringherreaderstoassociatecatsorotherovertlyalienandanimalcreatureswiththemselves,Gotliebdoesnotsomuchtransformheraliensintohumansassheforcesherreaderstoredefinewhathumanmeans.Tomakeuslovethealien,shetakesusundertheskin.

Jennifer Green, McMaster, <je1987nn@gmail.com>

Distanciation and Intelligibility through Semiotics in Terre des Autres by Sylvie Bérard

WrittenbyMontrealnativeSylvieBérardandpublishedin2004,TerredesAutres(Of WindandSand,2008)isaQuebecoissciencefictionstorythattakesplaceonSielxth(orMarsII),afarawayplanetwherethenativedarztlsandhumancolo-nisersliveinconflict.Thestoryisanexemplaryrepresentationof thesciencefictiongenrebyvirtueof itsuseof semioticmethodsthatfacilitatethecreationof aworldthatisbothradicallyotherandintelligible.Inthisstudy,wewillexaminethesemioticmethodsthroughwhichSylvieBérardisabletoconstructthefictionalworldof Sielxthandeffectivelyestablishandcommunicatetheparametersof thisnovelparadigmtothereader.Wewillhighlighthowtheauthorsucceedsinfillingthegapthatexistsbetweenthefictionalworldandtheempiricalworldof thereaderbydrawingfirstandforemostondidacticsegmentswhichprovidedetailsabouttheextraterrestrialsof Sielxth,thedarztls;secondly,onfictionalwordsaswellasfictionalideasinthestory,demonstratinghowthereaderisabletounderstandtheirmeaningsthroughsyntagmaticirradiation;finally,onreferencestothereader’spresumedempiricalknowledgeinordertodrawcomparisonswiththedarztllanguageandnames.

Adam Guzkowski, PhD Candidate, Trent, <aguzkowski@gmail.com>

Web of Trust: Transformative Learning and Technoculture in Cory Doctorow’s Little BrotherThispaperexploresthesimilaritiesandusefulinterconnectionsbetweentheoriesof transformativelearningandsciencefictionliterature,throughanexaminationof Canadiansf authorCoryDoctorow’sLittleBrother(2008).Theoriesof

transformativelearningandsf literatureshareanearlierfocusonrationality,suchasJackMezirow’semphasisondisorient-ingdilemmasandcriticalreflectionbeingessentialtotheperspectivetransformationinvolvedintransformativelearning,orDarkoSuvin’semphasisoncognitiveestrangementasbeingintegraltotheefficacyof sf literature.Likewise,thetwoseeminglydisparateareasof scholarshipsharesubsequentcritiquesof thefocusonrationality,withscholarssuchasMaxineGreeneandIstvanCsicsery-RonayJr.arguingfortheimportanceof affectinthecontextsof transformativelearningandsf literature,respectively.Inweavingtogetherthesetwotheoreticalengagements,thispaperexploreshowscience-fictionallit-erarytextscanbereadaspedagogicaltexts,aswellascreativereflectionsonandcriticalengagementswiththeirculturalandpoliticalcontexts.Inparticular,thispaperexaminesthepedagogicalpossibilitiesthatcanbereadinCanadiansf literaturethroughatheoreticalexplorationof CoryDoctorow’sLittleBrother(2008).Throughtheapplicationof theoreticalframe-worksrelatedtocriticalpedagogyandtransformativelearningaswellassf literarytheoryandcriticism,thispaperexploresthisexemplarytextanditsnarrativerepresentationsof personaldevelopmentandchange,communityempowermentandstrength,resistance,andsocialchange.Readingsof theselectedtextarepositionedintermsof howthetextcanbereadaspedagogical,andwhatpotentialdimensionsof transformativelearningthosepedagogicalpossibilitiesmightenable.Thesereadingsarethenappliedtodemonstratetherelevanceof theexemplarytexttoCanadianculturalandpoliticalcontexts,includingpoliticsof activism,technology,securitization,andcitizenship.

Veronica Hollinger, Trent, <vhollinger@trentu.ca>

Time, History, and Contingency in Robert Charles Wilson’s Science Fiction

RobertCharlesWilsonhasbeenwritingexcellentsciencefictionforovertwodecades,butheisstillnotaswidelyreadasheshouldbe.Ontheoccasionof thepublicationof Axis(2007),forinstance,anarticleinToronto’sGlobeandMailincludedhisfictioninalistof “Canada’sbest-keptsecretsinthearts”(Adams).IproposetoofferabroadintroductiontoWilson’sfictionthatemphasizesthenarrativeentanglementsof timeandhistorythatIfindsostrikinginhiswork–forthesakeof brevity,Iwillfocusontwoof hisbest-knownnovels,Darwinia(1998)andTheChronoliths(2001).DarwiniawasafinalistfortheHugoAward,andTheChronolithswasselectedasaNewYorkTimesNotableBookandwasco-winnerof the2002CampbellAward.Fromoneperspective,Wilson’sfictionis“deeplyhumanistic”(Barbour313),butthebrief livesof Wilson’sveryordinarycharacterstendtobeplayedoutintheframeworkof momentouseventsandagainsttemporalandspatialbackgroundsof more-than-humanscope.IfinditinterestingtoreadbothDarwiniaandTheChronolithsintermsof howtheirplotssetuptensionsbetweentimeandhistory–timeasunstructuredtemporalitywithoutmeaningfuloriginorconclusion;historyastemporalityshapedintostoriesof humanlysignificantevents.TensionbetweencosmictimeandhumanhistorycontinuestoshapeWilson’smorerecentnovelssuchastheHugo-Award-winningSpin(2005)anditssequelsAxisandVortex(2012).WhileWilson’sfictionmaybe“deeplyhumanistic,”hisisanappropriatelyscience-fictionalkindof humanism.Theplayof timeandhistoryinDarwiniaandTheChronoliths–thedecenteringof thehumaninstorieswhichatthesametimeinsistonrecognizingthesignificanceof thehuman–alsosupportsWilson’scommitmenttotheimportanceof contingencyasadefiningqualityof humanlife.

Herb Kauderer, Hilbert College & PhD Candidate, Buffalo, <hkauderer@yahoo.com>

Fedora Hats and the Great Gazoo: Pop Culture References in Robert J. Sawyer’s novels Triggers and Red Planet Blues

RobertJ.Sawyerhasstatedinaninterviewthatregardlessof thesettingof asciencefictionnovelitisalwaysaboutthetimeinwhichitwaswritten.Infact,heoftenusespopculturalreferencestodrawreadersawayfromthenovel’ssettingsuchasthemany20thcenturyreferencesinthefuturisticRedPlanetBlueswhichgrounditwithinthehardboiledandnoirmove-ments.OverdinnerSawyeradmittedthatoneof hisfavoriteusesof apopculturereferencewasusingTheGreatGazootoexplainapointinTriggers.ThisisremarkablebecauseTriggerswascontemporarytoitspublicationin2012whileTheGreatGazooisanobscureanimatedcharacterfrom1965.InthiscaseSawyer’spopreferencemovesthereaderfromthepresenttothepast.Suchtemporallydisplacedreferencesmaythreatenthereaderswillingsuspensionof disbelief,butSaw-yerfindsthemanirresistiblecomponentinpositioninghisreadersinmultipletimesettings.Thispaperisintendedtobeamultidisciplinaryexaminationandcomparisonof theeffectsof popculturalreferencesin

RobertJ.Sawyer’snovelsTriggersandRedPlanetBlues.ParticularattentionwillbepaidtodifferencescausedbyTriggers’movementof thereader’sattentionfromthepresenttothepastversusRedPlanetBlues’movementof thereader’satten-tionfromthefuturetothepast,thepastinbothcasesreferringtothemiddleof the20thcentury.Inadditiontotextualanalysis,interviewswillbereferenced(andmoreconducted),andsomesociologicalanalysisof thechoiceof popculturereferenceswillbeconsidered.

Lory Kaufman, author, <lory.kaufman@gmail.com>

What is the social value of the science fiction writer?

Mypaperwillexploretheideaof humansasatribe,whetherinagroupof thirtytosixty,aswasapparentlythecaseformanythousandsof years,orinacollectionof sevenbillionplus.Itwillincludeadiscussionandexamplesof hownaturehasensuredthatindividualsappearwhoarenecessaryforthetribe’ssurvival–includingsf writers.Atribeneedsmemberswithavarietyof talentstoworktowardsitsprosperityandlongevity.Forme,thesf writeristheultimateinterdisciplinaryworker,onewhoplaysanimportantrolebysynthesizingongoingdevelopmentsinallthesciences,bothphysicalandsocial,anddescribingthemusingavehiclethathumanshaveusedtoimpartinformationtotheirtribeformillennia,thatis–throughthestory.Thepaperwillexaminedifferenttypesof sf storiesthathavesurfacedovertheyearsinresponsetodevelopingtechnolo-gies.Thesewillincludethecautionarytales,onesinwhichtechnologythreatenshumanity’sextinction–storiesof nuclearwar,chemicalandbiologicalagents,diseases,totalitariandominationbymeansof technology,andcreationof newtypesof humansandartificialintelligencesthatrunamok.Butnotallsf storiesrevealimpendingdoom.Mypaperwillalsoaddressstoriesthatillustratehowsciencecanofferabet-terfutureforthehumantribe.Thisisaninterestingsubgenreof sf storiesbecause,bydefinition,showinganear-perfectworldleaveslittleroomtofindconflictandresolution,thewholeclothfromwhichmuchstorytellingiscut.Findingthatdynamictensioncanformthebasisof averyinterestingdiscussion.Inmypaper,Iwillciteexamplesof theaboveinRobSawyer’swork,andintheworkof manyotherpastandpresentau-thors.

Kate S. Kelley, Missouri, <KelleyKS@missouri.edu>

Robert J Sawyer’s Letter to Corinthians: body-mind dualism in Mindscan and Rollback

Thequestionof whatconstitutes‘humanbeing’isonewrittenaboutinthediscoursesof WesternphilosophyandChris-tiantheology.Manyof theargumentsconceivetheessenceof humanbeingasanintangiblesubstancevariouslycalledconsciousness,mind,orsoul.ThisisperhapsnowheremorefamousthaninDescartes’‘cogitoergosum.’Themind-bodydualismthatresultsfromDescartes’writinghasgrowntodominateWesternthought.Furthermore,Descartes’dualismprivilegestheabstractmindoverthebiologicalbodytothepointthatitsintegrityisrarelyinquestion.Whiletheproblemof bodilyresurrectionhasoccupiedmanythinkersconcernaboutthecontinuityof themindinthesamecircumstanceislessprevalent.Indeed,themultitudeof exegesisonCorinthians15:35“Howarethedeadraised?Withwhatkindof bodywilltheycome?”(NIV)areevidenceenoughtosuggestanassumptionthatthesoulisnotalteredbyresurrection.Likemanyworksof sciencefiction,Sawyer’sMindScan(2005)andRollback(2008)explorefundamentalquestionsaboutwhatitmeanstobehuman,butthepointof contentionisnotalwaysthematerialbody.Whatmakesananalysisof Saw-yer’snovelsparticularlyinterestingisthatthesestoriesareabouttheresurrectionof themind.Tobesure,SawyeragreeswithCartesiandualism:themind,forinstance,canbecopiedanddownloadedintoasyntheticbodyinMindScan,andtheviolationsof timeonthebiologicalbodycanberepairedinRollback.Whatisof significantinthenovelsisthe‘othering’of thesenewlyresurrectedcharacters.Lovedones,familyandfriendsseethemasfundamentallydifferentpeople–notthepeopletheyknew.ThispaperexploresSawyer’sbooksinthecontextof philosophicalandtheologicalapproachestomind-bodydualismtoidentifyanintersectionbetweenphilosophy,theologyandsciencefiction.

Andrew Kidd, PhD Candidate, Minnesota, <kidd0039@gmail.com>

Factoring Unity: E.O. Wilson’s Consilience and the Science Fiction of Sawyer and Van VogtRobertSawyer’sdefinitionof sciencefictionas“theliteratureof intriguingjuxtapositions”thatdrawsuponmultipledisciplinesinthesciencesandhumanitiesandnotjustextrapolatesfromthembutfindsconnectionsbetweenthem,hasananalogyinE.O.Wilson’snotionof Consilience,theideaputforthinhis1998bookof thesametitlethatwearemovingtowardsaUnityof Knowledgeinthesciencesandthehumanities.WellbeforeWilsonsetforthhisidea,anotherpreemi-nentCanadiansciencefictionwriter,A.E.VanVogt,hadanticipateditwiththefictionalscienceof Nexialisminhisfix-upnovel,Voyageof theSpaceBeagle.Sawyer’sownwork,althoughverydifferentfromthatof VanVogt,displaysasimilarrunningmotif of Unityof Knowledgeinbothscientificandhumanisticdisciplines,withtheworkinseeminglydivergentareasof scienceconvergingandinterweaving,leadingtowardsHumanisticconclusionswherethereisarecognitionof theunitybetweentheactorsinvolvedinthosedisciplines,andtheirresponsibilitytowardseachotherandonglobalscales.Theproposedpaperwillexaminecriticallytheroletheconsilienceof inductionsplaysintwoof Sawyer’skeyworks,Factor-ingHumanityandMindscan,aswellasinVanVogt’sVoyageof theSpaceBeagle,andtriestoanswerwhytheUnityof Knowledgehasbeenaspecificpreoccupationof Canada’stwoforemostsciencefictionwriters,inspiteof theirdivergentapproachesandsocio-politicalperspectives.

Mark Leslie Lefebvre, author, <mark@markleslie.ca>

Digital pi: The Transcendence of Digital Publishing

McMasterUniversityandRobertJ.Sawyerhavebothlongbeenatthehelmof technologicalinnovation.Andalthoughrunningparallelpaths,thetwocametogetherbeautifullyin2010whenSawyerwasatthecampusbookstorefortheworldlaunchof hisnovelWonder.Afascinatingaspectof Sawyer’svisittocampusinvolvedlaunchinghislatestnovelinfrontof aninnovationthathehaddreamedof inhisnovelFlashforwardmorethan10yearsearlier–amachinethatcouldproduceaperfectboundbookfromasecuredigitalstorageof millionsof titlesrightthereinsidethebookstore.McMasterUniversityhasownedanEspressoBookMachinesince2008,andhasuseditnotonlytosavestudentsmillionsof dollarsontextbooks,toofferMcMasterfacultymembersboldnewwaystomaketheirworkavailabletothestudentbody,topublishinnovativenewsciencefictionthemedprojectsandalsotoprovideasimplesolutiontoacentury-olddistri-butionandstorage/warehousingproblemthatcontinuestoplaguethebookindustry.AsthedrivingforcebehindbringingtheEspressoBookMachinetoMcMaster(the2ndEBMinCanadaandthe9thintheworld–therearenowalmost100inexistence),Iwouldrelishachancetobothshowoff howMcMasteraswellasinstitu-tionslikeUBC,Uof TorontoandUniversityof Waterloohaveembracedthistechnologytothebenefitof academicsanddemonstratehowthisandsimilardigitalinnovations(likeeBooks),allowstorytellersandteacherstheabilitytointeractwithreadersatthemostintimatelevel.

Shawn Malley, Bishop’s, <smalley@ubishops.ca>

Cyborg Sites: Ridley Scott’s Prometheus

ThispaperexamineswhatStanfordarchaeologistMichaelShanksidentifiesasthearchaeologicalcyborg—thehybridfigureof artifactandbody,historyandtechnology—inRidleyScott’sprequeltotheAlienfilms,Prometheus(2012).Thispar-ticularspeciesof cyborgisashybridfigurethatcollapsesanthropological,ethnographic,andarchaeologicalpracticesandpolitics.Thearchaeologicalcyborgdemonstratesthatthematerialpast—whosesemiosisisalwaysinflux—isonlyavail-abletotheimaginationasaversionof thefuture.Asan“archaeology”of RidleyScott’sAlienfilms,andtheirimaginaryof raceandmiscegenationthatisvariouslyexploitedandengineeredbytheWeylandCorporation,Prometheusprovidesamplematerialforcyborgcriticisminthefigureof itsandroidprotagonist,David.Modellinghimself afterthearchae-ologist,promoterof Arabnationalism,andBritishspyT.E.Lawrence,Davidfunctionsasbothaculturalartifactin,andanagentof,Prometheus’sexpeditiontotheoriginsof humanlife,anenterprisethat,likethemythof Lawrence,isboth

ananthropologicalrecoveryof anearlyphaseof civilization(likethemythof ArabpurityinfusingLawrence’sTheSevenPillarsof Wisdom)butalignedwiththeinterestsof theindustrial-militarycomplexthatDavidserves(inLawrence’scase,Britain’sForeignandColonialOffice).Withinthegenealogicalimageryof thefilm,David’scyborgbodyandbeingisclearlyconnectedtotheoriginof humanlifethatWeylanddesperatelyseeks.Thearchaeologicalcyborgisthusthepivotuponwhichthefilm’santhropologicalfabulaturns(of findingtheoriginsof thespecies,theEngineers)andisalsothe“cyborgsite”intowhichthediegeticenvironmentof materialsciencefunctionsasa“sciencefiction”:asanon-humanmarginalizedfigure,thecyborgDavidsimultaneouslyembodiesandresiststheoriginarytrajectoryandtheracist/specieistdiscoursethatlayattheheartof earlyanthropologicalandarchaeologicalthinking.Byelevatingthecyborgtoprotagonist,Scott,createsapotentiallysubversivefuturehistoryfortheAlienfranchiseitself.

Nick Matthews, Undergraduate Student, Waterloo, <nick.matthews@gmail.com>

Through a glass, brightly: Ethics in Robert J. Sawyer’s science fiction

Thenovelsof RobertJ.Sawyerhavecontaineddinosaurs,aliens,Neanderthalsandartificialintelligences.Whileincludingthesesciencefictiontropes,hisnovelshavealwaysbeenaboutthehumancondition.Thesescientificnovaareusedasamirrorforthereadertoexaminehumanity,withaneyetoethicalbehavior.Sawyeroncesuggestedthathisnovels“fightthegoodfightaboutthevalueof rationalismoversuperstition,of openmind-ednessbutnotcredulousnessoverdogma”(SFSiteJuly2002).Aspartof thisscientificrationalism,Sawyer’sworksshowcontinuedinterestinethicsasanultimategood.Whilehisearlynovelstakeplaceinfar-futureenvironments,Sawyer’srecentnovelsareinthenearfuture,withrelativelyfewSFtropes.DarkoSuvinoncedefinedsciencefictionas“aliterarygenrewhosenecessaryandsufficientconditionsarethepresenceandinteractionof estrangementandcognition,andwhosemainformaldeviceisanimaginativeframeworkalternativetotheau-thor’sempiricalenvironment”(Suvin1979:7-8).AccordingtoSuvin’sdefinition,Sawyer’snovelsareweightedinfavourof aworldverymuchrecognizableasourown,withspecificelementswhichformtheimaginativeframeworks.InnovelsliketheNeanderthalParallaxtrilogy,orWakeWatchWonder,Sawyerpresentsthereaderwithreasonedargu-mentstowardsanalternativeethicalframework,bysubstitutingourhumanexperienceswiththoseof NeanderthalsorAI.Througheyesnotunlikeourown,Sawyer’sreaderslookatsocietyuntilthelightof anewworld,illuminatingthedarknessof ourpast.

Rebecca McNulty, MA Candidate, University of Florida,<rlmcnulty@gmail.com>

“Let Me Reveal Your Future!”: Robert Sawyer’s Use of Prediction in Near-Future Narrative

Sawyer’suncannypredictionshaveshockedhisreadershipsinceTheTerminalExperimentwhenhepredictedthenextpopewouldadaptthenameBenedictXVI;since,hehaspredictedpapalresignations,distinguishedNobelLaureates,andcount-lesssignificantdetailsthatmemorializethepresentinwhichhewritesasmuchasthefutureheimagines.DespiteSawyer’sexternalpredictions,hisstoriestreattheirinternalfutureswiththesamecareandrelevancetocharactersastohisreaders.Fromthesoothsayersin“TheHandYou’reDealt”tothepainfulpredictionslitteringFlashforward,Sawyerusesthefutureasbothareflectionforhischaracters’intentionsandafunhousethatalterstheirpredictedrealities.Inhistendencytooccupytherealmof nearfuturewithinhissettings,Sawyeropensthedoortopredictboththesocio-po-liticaldirectionsoursocietieswillturn,butalsothepresentthathasinspiredthosedirections.Whetherhepredictsrightlyorwrongly,Sawyer’stenacityandtendencytopredictsupersedesanyflawsinhisguesswork.Theaccuracymatterslessthanthesocialclimatethatfuelshispredictions.Inananalysisof Sawyer’snear-futures,hisreaderexperiencetheclimateinwhichSawyeroriginallywroteagiventext--theFlashforwardthat,publishedin1999,retainsapost-millenniumcultureevenasitpredictsthefutureof 2009andglimpsesof itstwenty-oneyearfuture.Despitetheirnear-futurespeculations,Sawyer’sstoriesrecreatehispresentandthefuturethatpresentmightinspire.ForpresentationattheMcMasterSFConference,IproposeSawyer’spredictionscreateatimelessenvironmentof literaryspeculationthatechoourcurrenttimelineandvicariouslycreateanimageof ourimpendingfuture.InSawyer’spredictions,Iproposethatreadersfindaculturalunderstandingof theworldinwhichhewrote,andthepresentinwhichwe,collective-ly,readasthefuture.

Derek Newman-Stille, PhD Candidate, Trent, <dereknewmanstille@gmail.com>

Places of Suffering: Spacialising Disability and Trauma in Leah Bobet’s AboveAbstract

LeahBobet’sSFnovelAbovequestionsthemedicalandscientifichegemonyof ourworld,particularlyfocussingonideasof the‘normalised’bodyandtheimpulsebymedicalpractitionerstotrytoenforceasingularinterpretationof the‘proper’body.Bobetexplorestheimplicationsfordiversebodies,bodiesthatdefynormativenotionsof thebodyandthetraumathatcanbewrittenontothebodiesof peoplewhilemedicalproceduresareusedtoattempttoforcetheirbodiesintoanormativemold.Inattemptsto‘rehabilitate’diversebodies,characterswithclawsforarmsendurethembeingcutoff andreplacedwithprosthetics,characterswithlionfeetexperiencerepeatedfootbindingsandbreakagestoforcetheirfeetintoahumanshape,andallof thecharactersaresubjectedtochemicalstocontroltheirbehaviour.Toescapefromthe“Whitecoats”whohavetorturedthem,charactersformedtheirowncommunitycalled“Safe”wherethefocusisshiftedawayfromamedicalisedinterpretationof individualstoindividualstoriesandself-narrativisation-wherethefigureof theTeller,whosavesandre-narratesthecommunity’sstories,isthemostsignificantfigure.Communityisformedthroughcollectivestoriesof traumaandthesharingof traumaticnarrativesthatcreateacommunityhistoryandresisttheerasurethatoftenoccurstopeoplewithdisabilitiesorbodilydifferencesinmainstreamhistoricalnarratives.ThecharactersinBobet’snovelhaveretreatedunderground,intothesewerstoescapefromtheplacesof traumainthecityaboveandwhentheyareforcedtoreturntothecityabove,theyundergoare-awakeningof traumaashistory,memory,andspaceintertwinetoreawakenthepaininscribedontheirbodies.

Joseph A. Novak, Waterloo, <jnovak@connect.uwaterloo.ca>

Consciousness in the works of Robert Sawyer

Thequalitiesof lucidstyle,engagingplots,suspenseandhumorthatcharacterizethecorpusof RobertSawyer’sworkarematchedbyanadditionalfeaturewhichisonlyrarelyfoundinadevelopedwayamongSFwriters,namely,solidphilosophicalacumen.Reoccurringthroughsomanyof hispiecesishistreatmentof thenotionof consciousness,wheth-eritbeawarenessfoundpresentinlivingorganismsorakindof knowingstateinabeingof someartificialintelligence.Theinterweavingof analysesof consciousnesswiththeunfoldingactionsof theauthor’scharactersappearsinnumerouscreativeways.IntheNebulawinningTheTerminalExperimentconsciousnessisdiscussedintermsof livinganddyinghumansandcomputersimulationsthatinstantiatethepersonal,idealized,orimmortalizedprojectionsof ahumanself.InFlashForwardthereaderisconfrontedwiththedifferingawarenessof apresentandfutureself.InAwaketheimplicationsof theentwiningof humanandcomputerconsciousnessprovokesreflectionontheindividualityandcommunityof mind.ThenovelStarplexconfrontsthereaderwithvariedtypesintelligence(human,animal,andalien)thatareallabletocommu-nicate.IntheHominids,Humans,andHybridstrilogy,Sawyerspeculatesontheoriginsof consciousnessinbothhumansandNeanderthals.InMindscanhespeaksof themultiplicationof consciousnessandpersonalidentitywhileinCalculatingGodhespeaksof theverydifferenttypesof consciousnessof twoalienspeciesvisitingearth. Theaimof thispaperisnotsimplytoexaminethesemanifoldglimpsesintoconsciousness(bothrealandfiction-al)butalsototraceparallelinsightsfoundinthemajorWesternphilosophers.Sawyerexplicitlycites,onsomeoccasions,oneoranotherof themajorthinkers.Moreover,insightsfromPlato,Descartes,Locke,Hegel,andotherscanbeshowntobearisinginhiswork.ThisphilosophicalintersectionmakesSawyer’sliterarycorpusarichmuseumfortheexhibitionof theoriesof mindandself.

Claire Peacock, Saskatchewan, <cmp904@mail.usask.ca>

Atwood’s “Wonder Tale”: Old Boundaries and New Encounters

Asagenre,SFhascometoambiguouslyrepresentdiverseclassificationsanddistinctionsincluding,butnotlimitedto,

scientification,sciencefiction,speculativefiction,andcrossoversintofantasy.Inherwork,InOtherWorlds:SFandtheHumanImagination,MargaretAtwoodexplainshow“bendinessof terminology,literarygene-swapping,andinter-genrevisitinghasbeengoingonintheSFworld-looselydefined-forsometime.”Interdisciplinarityisinherentwithinthegenre,thusenablingavastexplorationof “thoseimaginedotherworldslocatedsomewhereapartfromoureverydayone:inanothertime,inanotherdimension,throughadoorwayintothespiritworld,orontheothersideof thethresholdthatdividestheknownfromtheunknown”and“allof themmightbeplacedunderthesamelarge‘wondertale’umbrella”(Atwood). Interdisciplinaritycanalsobeextrapolatedbeyondthegenre.The“wondertale”servesasacriticallocationwhereinexperimentalsocio-politicaldreamworkcanbehypothesizedandrealizedwithinfictionandbeyondthelimitsof thesocialandbiologicalsciences.Inparticular,anexaminationof theincreasingeffectsof globalismasitrelatestotheenvironment,science,andtechnologycanbestretchedbeyondwhatwemaycurrentlyenvisionand/orexperienceinourworld.Atwood’snovel,OryxandCrake,confrontstheconsequencesof increasedcorporatizationinaglobalizedmarketsuchasgeneticmodification,decreasedbiodiversity,andtheeffectsof globalwarmingovertransnationalboundaries.Thisgrandhypothetical,framedbyanunderstandingof DavidHeldandAnthonyMcGrew’sconceptsof globalism,encouragesreaderstodrawconclusionssurroundingthepresentrealityof “societiesbecomingincreasinglyenmeshedinworldwidesys-temsandnetworksof interaction”asthe“constraintsof socialtimeandgeographicalspace”presentincreasinglycomplexsocio-culturalencountersandinteractionsacrosstransnationalboundariesthusshiftingthewayweunderstandourworldeconomically,culturally,andpolitically.

Wendy Gay Pearson, Western, <wpearson@uwo.ca>

Queer Time, Postcoloniality, and Canadian SF

Thispaperconsiderstropesof timetravelwithinCanadianworksthatarenotnecessarilysciencefictional,orthatarenotalwaysconsideredassciencefiction,inthelightbothof contemporarytheoreticalworkonqueertimeandqueerphenom-enologyandof postcolonialapproachestoliteratureandtosciencefictioninparticular.Thepaperwillcomparetheuseof historicalfiguresintheworkof NaloHopkinson,particularlySaltRoads,andof Geoff Ryman(bothWasandLust),incontrasttothefilmsof queerCanadiandirectorJohnGreyson,whoseworkfrequentlymobilizeshistoricalfigurestrans-latedintothepresent(notablyinUrinal,ZeroPatience,andTheMakingof ‘Monsters’)inwaysthat,whilenotnormallytakenassciencefiction,areremarkablysciencefictional.Thepaperwillthususetheseworksasexemplarsthroughwhichtoexaminetherelationshipbetweentheoreticalideasof queertime,postcolonialliterarytheory,andCanadianSF.Althoughnoneof theseworksinvolvestraight-forwardtimetravel,theyallinvolvedislocationsintimethatreferenceideasabouttimetravelandthat,inreorientingthereader/viewertoaqueeredperspectiveonhistory,allowustothinkqueerlyaboutourrelationsinandtotime.Afterexaminingthewaysinwhichtheinherentlyinterdisciplinarynatureof theoriesof queertimeandqueerphenome-nologyfunctiontoelucidatenewunderstandingsof historicaltimeintheseworks,thispaperwillconsidertheextenttowhichcontemporaryqueertheoryallowsfornewandproductiveinsightsintosciencefictionmoregenerally–somethingforwhichthetropesof queertime/queeredhistoryfunctionmetonymically,astheyallownewlensesintothewaysinwhichcontemporaryqueertheorycanbebroughttobearonparticularsciencefictionaldevices.

Hendrik Poinar, McMaster, <poinarh@mcmaster.ca>

On Cytosine Methylation…

Methylationof DNAinvolvestheplacementof asmallmethylgroup,thatisamoleculeconsistingof onecarbonandthreehydrogenmoleculesontotheoutsideof oneof thefourDNAbasesthatmakeupourgenome.InthiscaseithappenstobeaCytosine(C).Amazinglythepresenceorabsenceof thissmallmoleculedictateswhichgenesgetturnedon(expressed)oroff (noexpression),leadingtoacascadeorperhapsacacophonyof eventsinourcells,bodiesandminds,perhapseveninfluencingthepatternsof peoplearoundus.Mostintriguinglythesepatternsappeartocontrolmemory,amongstotherthings,bothshortandlong-term.Iaminthemidstof exploringhowmanipulationof thesepatterns(genetically)couldaltermemoryandhenceidentityinarealandfictionalformat.Iwouldexpandonmyrecentattempts(painfulImightadd–asIamnowriter)toputthislineof researchintoafuturisticcontextinthedevelopmentof ascriptIhavebeenworking

onforquitesometime.

Amy J. Ransom, Central Michigan,<ranso1aj@cmich.edu>

Hockey & Science Fiction in Canada: ‘A Combination Seen Rarely But in Québec’

Inanarticleentitled‘Sport-Fiction,’Jean-PierreAprilapioneerof Québec’scontemporaryscience-fictionmove-ment(SFQ),arguedthathockeyandsciencefictionareacombinationbutrarelyseenoutsideQuébec,butnaturalforthemajority-francophoneprovincesince‘laS.F.senourrittoutnaturellementdegrandsmythespopulaires,oudefantasmescollectif,andthatinQuébechockeyrepresentsoneof themostpowerfulof thesemyths.Elsewhere,Ihaveexaminedhowscience-fictionwritersfromQuébec—evenwritersof youthfiction—offercomplexandambivalentreflectionsonwhattheylabelthe‘sportnationaldupeuplequébécois.’Sincehockeyisgenerallyviewedasamarkerof the‘Canadian’thatunitesthetwosolitudes,itseemedonlynaturaltoextendmyinvestigationsof theintersectionbetweenhockeyandscience-fictionintotherealmof Anglo-Canadianliterature.Thispapersketchesthebeginningsof thatresearch,linkingtheQuébécoistotheCanadianviaalookatthehockeyrefer-encesinthevisualmediafranchise,Dansunegalaxieprèsdechezvous.Afterafleetingexaminationof howmainstreamhockeynovelsmayborrowfantasticalelements(namelyinthewritingof PaulQuorrington)andhowsf novelsmaymen-tionhockey(VenBegamudré’sVandeGraaf Days),IthenanalyzeingreaterdepthtwoAnglo-Canhockey-themedshortstoriesbyEdovanBelkomingenresperipheraltosf:analternatehistory,“Hockey’sNightinCanada”(1996),andahorrorstory,“Heart”(2000).Thispapernotonlyexaminestheinterdisciplinaryrelationshipbetweenanactualsportanditsdis-courses(journalism,history,sportbiography)andscience-fictionmedia(shortstory,novelandvisualmedia),itimplementsaninterdisciplinarytoolbox,drawingfromsporthistoryandsociology,aswellasfromliterarycriticism.

David Robinson, Laurentian, <drobinson@laurentian.ca>

Games, Minds, and Sci Fi

SciFi,probablymorethanotherpopularliterature,directlydealswiththedeepsociologicalandphilosophicalproblemsof theage.Dealingwiththeproblemorimplicationsof themindisattheheartof theworkof someof themostinfluentialtheoristsof the20thcentury:Wittgenstein(languagegames),Von-NeumannandMorgenstern(economicgames)andBern(gamespeopleplay).Understandingandrepresentinginteractionsbetweenagentswhoareawareof eachotherasconsciousandthinkingbeings(agentswithatheoryof mind)hasbeenthemajorchallengeandaccomplishmentof of 20thcenturyphilosophyandsocialscience.Ithasalsobeenacoreconcerninsciencefiction,particularlyintheformof thealienorthe(alien)futureorpasthumansociety.Thispaperlooksattheoriesof mindinSciFibymappingspecificworksontotheformaltheoriesinlinguistics,gametheory,psychologyandphilosophy.Itattemptstoilluminateanimportantfeatureof 20thcenturythoughtpresentinSciFithroughitsrepresentationinanadmittedlypartialselectionof SciFistoriesandNovels,withspecificreferencetotheworksof RobSawyer.

Anne Savage, McMaster, <savage@mcmaster.ca>

Travelling in the Country of the Mind: Greg Bear’s Queen of Angels/Slant and personality crisis

ThreecharactersinQueenof AngelsandthenSlantexperiencepersonalitycriseswhichinvolvetransformations.TheprotagonistMaryChoyhasundergoneextremephysicalalteration.ThepoetEmmanuelGoldsmithhasmurderedasmallcohortof youngfollowers;whilebeinghuntedbythepoliceGoldsmithishiddenbythefatherof oneof thevictims,whoarrangesabannedprocessof personalityexaminationwhichhehopeswillhelphimunderstandwhythemurderswerecommitted.Bear’scharacter,MartinBurke,theorizedthatarchetypalmentalpersonalitystructuresgrowwithusfromchildhood,takingformasakindof ‘place’forthelifeof themind,growingricherandmorecomplexwithage.Burke’sprocessusesneurologicalscansonasubject,alongwithhimself andacolleague,whichallowhimandafellowvoyagertoexaminethe‘countryof themind’asthoughparticipatinginthesubject’spersonalityasobservers;discoveredinjobless

ignominybythewealthyfather,heandaformercolleaguegointoakindof territoryinGoldsmith’smindwhichBurkehadneverimaginedexistedinahumanbeing.MaryChoy,asapoliceofficerinvolvedinthesearchforGoldsmith,enjoyshertransformationfromasmall,physicallyunremarkableChinese-Americanwomanintoaverytall,jet-blackwomanwithmanyunusualabilities(notleastof whichareheruntiringfeet,idealforacoponthebeat),whiledealingwithherfamily’scompleterejection,andherunresolvedpain,asaresult.AnAI,Jill,becomesself-aware,whichcauseshertoshutdowninordertounderstandthisnewstate;havingovercomethiscrisis,sheisinvadedandoccupiedbyacompletelydifferentkindof AIdesignedbyarogueresearcherwhogeneratesandrootsitsoperationininsectneurologyanddirt.EmmanuelGoldsmith,respectedpoet;MaryChoy,policeofficerandtransform;andJill,AI,arevehiclesformodelsof thepersonalitywithinMartinBurke’stheoryandprocess.Bear’sarrayof scientific,psychologicalandsciencefictionmethodol-ogiesforexaminingpersonalcrisisandchangecorrespond,insomeways,toknownneurologicalterritory,andmergewithsomeaspectsof Jungiantheory;buthisfictionisarevelationof howutterlydifferentapproachesto‘themind’vianeurol-ogyandarchetypearemutuallycompatible.Mypaperwilllayoutthiscompatibilityandassessitspossibilitiesasapossiblemodelof themind.

Patrick B. Sharp, California State, Los Angeles<Psharp@exchange.calstatela.edu>

The Utopian Uses of Anthropology: L. Taylor Hansen and Robert J. Sawyer

Inthelatenineteenthcenturyandearlytwentiethcentury,anumberof feministsturnedtoevolutionandanthropol-ogytoimagineperfectlyengineeredsocietiesthatliberatedwomenfrompatriarchaloppression.CharlottePerkinsGilman’sHerlandusedDarwin’sconceptof sexualselectiontopositautopiancommunitywherewomenhadcontrolof reproduc-tion,allowingthemtodevelopaworldwithoutconflictthatwasinbalancewithnature.Atthedawnof WorldWarII,L.TaylorHansenusedinsightsfromcontemporaryanthropologyinamoresubtlefashiontochallengemanyof theideasandideologiesthatwerecentraltotheglobalconflict.Forexample,intheJuly1942issueof AmazingStoriesHansenpublishedamulti-pageessayentitled“TheWhiteRace—DoesItExist?”UsinginsightsfromBoasiananthropology,Hansencarefullyundercutstheconceitthatthe“whiterace”issomehowmoreevolvedthanotherraces.Indoingso,sheundercutsnotonlytherhetoricNaziswereusingtojustifytheiratrocities,butalsotherhetoricusedbymanyintheUnitedStatestocharacter-izethewarinthePacific.Overaseriesof essays,Hansenalsousedcurrentideasfromgeologyandanthropologytopositautopianlostraceof peoplefromAtlantiswhoweretheancestorsof IndigenousAmericans.UsingHansen’sworkasatouchstone,thispaperwillexplorethewaysinwhichRobertJ.Sawyerusescontemporaryanthropologytocreateanalterna-tiveworldinhisNeanderthalParallaxtrilogy(2002-2004).LikeHansen,Sawyerusesrecentdiscoveriesabouttheculturesandcharacteristicsof Neanderthalsinhisvisionof anot-quite-utopianworldwhereNeanderthalsbecamethedominantHominidontheplanet.Sawyerusesthisanthropologicallenstocriticizethecontemporarycultureof warfare.Assuch,hisnovelsuseanthropologytoprovideascathingcritiqueof theongoingwarsinAfghanistanandIraq,andtoimaginemorepeacefulandecologicallysustainablefutures.

Kristen Shaw, McMaster, <shawka3@mcmaster.ca>

Mapping “It 2.0”: The Utopian Potential of Virtual Space in Karl Shroeder’s “To Hie from Far Cilenia”

KarlShroeder’sshortstory“ToHiefromFarCilenia”exploreshowvirtualtechnologiescontributetothedevelopmentof alternativeutopianspacesand,byextension,alternativesocialandpoliticaleconomies.Whilesearchingforstolenpluto-nium,protagonistsGennedyandMirandamustnavigateaseriesof ARGs–AlternateRealityGames–thatfunctionasvirtualoverlaysthatmodifyphysicalspaces.Theseareinteractiveandmultiple-playergamesaccessedthroughvirtualrealityglasses.WhileARGsdohavegoalsandlevels,theyfunctionasmorethanmereentertainment,anditistheirspatialdimen-sionthatismostappealingtoparticipants.Whiletherealworldismappedaccordingtostablecoordinatesthatsituateindi-viduals“inplace,”ARGsdismissstableplacesandfocusalternativelyonthemappingandre-mappingof “nodalpoints”orattractorsthatrepresentshiftingnetworksof socialandpoliticalrelations.Thiscreatestheeffectof non-linearandeffer-vescentonlineworldsthatconflictwithandmodifythe“real”mapsof physicalspace.Thispaperexploreshowthesealter-nativemaps–dubbed“It2.0”withinthestory-havedeterritorializingeffectsthatenabletheproductionof utopianspacesinoppositiontocapitalisticeconomiesandsocialrelations.IemployMicheldeCerteau’stheoryof spaceandplaceaswellasDeleuzeandGuattari’sdistinctionbetweenterritorializedanddeterritorializedspaceandmobilitytoarguethatthevirtual

worldswithin“ToHiefromFarCilenia”causeafundamentalrearticulationof spacesandsocio-spatialpractices.Whereasthevirtualrealmisoftenarticulatedasaspaceof capitalisticcaptureincommodifiedlandscapes,“ToHiefromFarCilenia”demonstratesthepotentialof virtualworldsasproductiveoverlaystothematerialworldthatallowforemergentandutopi-anformsof community,mobility,andspatialpractices.

Jonathan Smith, PhD Candidate, Wilfred LaurierBe (More or Less) Human: Recognizing Emotions In Dreaming Idols, Curious Weapons, and Other Assorted Objectified “Others”

InmypaperIexaminetheincreasingblurringof thematerialandthevirtualinrelationtotheconstructionof emotionascentraltosubjectivity.Usingaframeworkcomposedof recentaffect,feminist,andcriticalposthumanistthe-ories,IdiscussWilliamGibson’s1996novelIdoruandKenjiKamiyama’s2002-2003animatedseriesGhostintheShell:StandAloneComplexanddemonstratehowinthesetextssubjectivityformationisincreasinglylessbaseduponparticularphysicalembodimentsandexperiences.Rather,theabilitytoperform,andmoreimportantlyexpress,certainkindsof emo-tionsarewhatenablecertainsubjectstoberecognizedas“human”withinthephysical,virtual,andsocialnetworkswhichcontributetoindividualsensesof self.Thesignificanceof suchrepresentationsincreaseswhenwerecognizethewaysinwhichtheysuggestaprogressiveethicsforinter-connectedsubjects,andhowthosesubjectscomplicatecontemporarydebatesandanxietiesaroundliberalhumanistconceptionsof individuality,rights,andcitizenshipinanetworkedworld.

Jason P. Vest, Guam, <japaves@yahoo.com>

Chasing Darwin: Race, Space, and Star Trek: The Next Generation

AlthoughtheStarTrekfranchisehaslongbeennotedforexaminingracismwithinitsfuturehistory,theOriginalSeriesfre-quentlyrepresentsnonwhitepeoplesasdifferentalienspecies,therebyendorsing—evenwhilecontesting—persistentracialstereotypes.Despiteitsgroundbreakingmultiracialcast,theoriginalStarTrek’s(1966-1969)fictionallinkingof KlingonswithAfricansandRomulanswithAsiansislessprogressivethantheprogram’smostardentfansadmit.StarTrek:TheNextGeneration(1987-1994),althoughcontinuingitsparentprogram’sgeneralapproachtoracisminearlyepisodes(nonemorenotoriousthan“Codeof Honor”),contestsracialstereotypeswithincreasingsophisticationastheseriesunfolds.ThispresentationwilldiscusshowTNG’ssixth-seasonepisode“TheChase”fusesarchaeologicalandanthropologicalapproach-estoracialdifferenceinastorythatsuggestsacommongeneticbackgroundfortheTrekfranchise’smanyhumanoidspe-cies.Theexistenceof anancient,ancestorspeciesthatseededtheMilkyWayGalaxyextendsCharlesDarwin’sevolutionarytheoryontoacosmicscaletosetTNGapartfromitsfamouspredecessorevenwhilemaintaininginternalcontinuitywiththeOriginalSeries.

Sherryl Vint, California, Riverside, <sherryl.vint@ucr.edu>

To Corrupt and Control the Present in Order to Win the Future”: Continuum as Post 9/11 Television

StacyTakacsarguesinTerrorismTV,thatsciencefictiontelevisionisabletodissentfromahegemonicpoliticsof fear“byabsorbingreal-wordissuesintotherelatively‘safe’realmof fantasy”andcreating“aspaceforalternativesolutionstoemerge.”Mypaperwillreadthetime-travelseriesContinuumasanexampleof suchalternativepost-9/11visions.Althoughtheseriesbeginsasaconventionaltimetravelnarrativestrivingtosecurethe“proper”future,asitunfoldswedevelopaparadoxicalrelationshiptothispromisedfuture.Itscelebrationof technology,progressandtheirachievementthroughstablecorporateorderisunderminedasmoredetailsof therelationshipbetweenpresentandfuturearerevealed,andprotagonistscometoembracechangingratherthansecuringthefuture.Continuumdisplacestheanxietiesof terrorismto2077,with2012servingasthehingepointwhenadecisiveterroristattackchangedtheworldandshapedtheirpresent.Inthisfuturehistory,terrorismisassociatedwithresistancetothe

corporateneoliberaltakeoverof ourpresent:theerosionof humanrightsinfavourof corporateprofit;thedisplacementof farmersandprivatizationof foodthroughterminatorseeds;andthecrushingdebtintowhichcitizensarebornwhilecorporationsare“bailedout”bygovernmentfiat.Throughitsreworkingof thetypicalpatternof thetimetravelnarrative,then,Continuumobliquelycommentsonourownpost-9/11world,reframingourunderstandingof thelastdecade.Theimportantlegacyof 9/11,itsuggests,isnotanewfoundvigilanceagainstterrorismbutinsteadapoliticalpolarizationtowardtheright.Inthisway,Continnuumrevealstheongoingworkof neoliberalismto“corruptandcontrolthepresentinordertowinthefuture”–afutureviewers,asdemocraticcitizens,areurgedtochangefromourownvantagepointin2012.

Laura Wiebe, McMaster University <laura@lauramwiebe.com>

(Re)Negotiating Reality: Karl Schroeder’s Near-Future Metatropolis

Thispaperaddressesthenegotiationof virtuality,materiality,andtemporarystabilityinKarlSchroeder’sshortstory“ToHiefromFarCilenia”(publishedinthe2008anthology,Metatropolis).Schroeder’sstoryisanexaminationandextrapo-lationof thecomplexitiesandchallengesof postmodernsubjectivityandpost-nationalsocialorganization.Livingintheme(ta)tropolisof thenot-so-distantfuture,thecharactersof “ToHiefromFarCilenia”findthemselvesinaworldwherenational,economic,andevenpersonalstabilityareonlytemporary.Thisisalsoanenvironmentwheretraditionalformsof representation–frompoliticalandlegalorganizationstomapsandlanguage–nolongeradequatelyconveytheshiftingfluiditiesof latemodernreality.Thecharacterswhoseembestequippedtooperateinthesefluidnetworksaregamers.Embracingthevirtualandaugmentedrealitiesof gameplayanddevelopingnew“pointingwords,”thesecharactersfreethemselvestoputonmultipleidentitieslikethecoatsof uniforms,even“riding”thebodiesof otherplayerstoconductac-tivitiesindisparateregionsof theworld.Findingnewwaysof speakingandinteracting,thesegameplayersareabletothenimagine,performandconstructakindof counterculturalalternativetoexistingformsof sociopoliticalandsocioeconomicorganization.AsSchroeder’sprotagonistspenetratedeeperintothesegames,theinteractionof virtualandmaterialrealitiesbecomesincreasinglycomplexbut,importantly,thevirtualisnever‘liberated’fromthematerial.Humanrelationships(betweenmotherandson,forexample)continuetoinfluencecharacters’actions,destructivepoliticalfactionscontinuetooperate,andmaterialobjects(suchasplutonium)provetobeenduringly“real”intheireffects.Ultimately,Schroeder’sstorychampionsthecreativeandpragmaticpowerof gameplayandnewlinguisticframeworksforhelpingusnegotiatepolitical,economicandpersonalrealities,buttheauthorremindsusof materialaccountabilities,thatthevirtualisatool,notarouteof escape.

Lisa Yaszek, Georgia Tech, <lisa.yaszek@lmc.gatech.edu>

Liberating the Future: Feminism and Anthropology in Women’s Pulp Era SF

Thispresentationexploreshowwomeninthe1920sand30susedSFtoparticipateinanthropologicaldebatesaboutthepast,present,andfutureof humanity,especiallyasmarkedbydifferentkindsof sexandgenderorganization.Yaszekbeginsbyreviewingwomen’sworkinanthropologyduringthisperiod,noting,inparticular,women’suseof poeticnarrativeformstocomplicatethe(drylyscientific)argumentsof theirmalecounterparts.Shethenturnstoamoreextendedconsiderationof thediversewaysthatwomenpublishingintheearlySFmagazinecommunityusedtheirchosengenre—andthedifferentmodesof representationassociatedwithit—tocontributetoongoinganthropologicaldebateswithinscientificjournals.Broadlyspeaking,thesecontributionscanbedividedintothreetypes.Manywomen,suchasthepoetJuliaBoyntonGreen,wereSFcentrists,reiteratingtheanthropologicalidealsof theirmalecounterpartsinbothscienceandSF.However,evenintheirmostseeminglyconventionalmoments,suchwomenoftenassertedadistinctlyfeminine(andevenfeminist)anthro-pologicalauthoritygroundedinbothintellectandemotion.Others,suchasauthorLilithLorraine,demonstrateasecondkindof contribution,usingconventionalSFstorytypesincludingthelostracetaleandtechnologicalutopiatodramatizefeministargumentslinkingracialevolutiontofemaleliberation.Moreoftenthannot,suchstoriesalsodramatizedtheevolutionof themalenarratorwhosecommitmenttoscienceleadshim,howeverreluctantly,toacceptfemaleliberationaskeytohumanprogress.Authorsdemonstratingathirdkindof contributioncapitalizedonthemostsensationalisticaspectsof anthropologytoexpandtheaudienceof thegenreitself.Thisisparticularlytrueof artistMargaretBrundage,whose