Race and the Fantastic

How do categories of race in fantastic literature, art, and digital media mirror the way race is understood and lived in the real world? In this seminar we will employ the insights of critical race scholars to study literary works by Mandeville, Swift, Tolkien, and Mieville, as well as a variety of films and games. Principal issues and topics will include: the representation of “absolute others”; models of racial/ethnic hybridity and assimilation; intersections of race, gender and sexuality; and problematic linkages of cultures to phenotypes.