Ethnic Futurism

Defining Ethnic Futurism

Ethnic futurism is still a relatively new term and it’s definition can be hard to articulate. To get started we can look at the definition of Afrofuturism, probably the most common and researched version of ethnic futurism. Wikipedia states, “Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and philosophy of history that explores the developing intersection of African Diaspora culture with technology.” This can be applied to other minority cultures and work together to define ethnic futurism. The idea of a cultural aesthetic that mixes minority diaspora from their homelands and new technology propelling the work or text to the future. It’s important to note that different ethnicities had different experiences with diaspora and therefore creates uniqueness in how the text or work deals with the idea of diaspora.

Features of Ethnic Futurism

Ethnic futurism does have many common features that can help define the concept. Again different ethnicities may have different interpretations of those features. In the course this project is for, ENGL 6780, we have come up with a good list of ideas on ethnic futurism. We focused on three versions of ethnic futurism: Afrofuturism, Chicano/a Futurism, and Indigenous Futurism.

Afrofuturism

Africans / African Americans as principle actors in the future

Centering of change, changing lives and environment

Arrival of aliens/others and transformation of civilization

Stolen horizons, dreams and hopes stripped away, desperate survivors

Slavery as founding trauma (Afro-American Futurism) colonization/genocide (esp indigenous and chicano)

Displacement and alienation / violence / self-sacrifice survival of self

Questioning of god, established religious ideas / prophecy

Environmental awareness, climate change, environmental destruction/transformation

African roots / folklore / spirituality / return to Africa

Past serves as tool of survival in future

Create new religion to accommodate new future

Science fiction/ magical powers / witchcraf

Tapping the power of the imagination, questioning authority

Technology / innovation

Multiple genres – music, fashion, comics/graphic novels, film, art, tattoos, food

Sexuality / glbtq characters and related conflicts

Recreated future / Re-creation of family /new communities / visionary, freer worlds/ rebuilding/recreating

Travel / journey / exodus / often Northern direction

Female empowerment, active roles, violence against women

Symbolic nature of water (slave ships death & rebirth, climate change, struggle over water)

Family important, sometime needs to be re-envisioned/ recreated, absent fathers

Emphasis on youth

Substance abuse or other means of escape

Power of the word, focus on language

Asking questions about what it means to be human, connections between humans and nature, evolutionary questions – where are we going

Invite the reader in and ask what are they going to do

Indiginous Futurism

Respect for the elders

Storytelling / carrying on memories / dreams-dreaming

Religious pieces from the past

Value of traditional languages and practices

No wasting of parts / resources

Questions of mixing, crossing, and more traditional cultures

Deep connections with the land / nature empowering / importance of animals

Reservations / isolation

Subordination / Native People disadvantaged

Danger of schools / tool of empire, taking away culture, frightenful

Less emphasis on technology

Urban environments dangerous

Dance with mystical power – Ghost Dance connections

Importance of art

Fluidity of time / slip stream

Multiple perspectives

Connections with climate change, living off of the land under new conditions

Possibility of new communities / creation

Chicano/Latino Futurism

Borders / Immigration

Culture and language

Exploitation of workers / braceros / overworking – violence

Stereotypes explored, undermined, flipped

Physical labor

Defamiliarizing the familiar

Connecting across borders / backgrounds

Skepticism of technology which can be exploitative, violent

Power of corporations / factories / white man

Connections with Native / Indigenous traditions

Co-existed with Catholicism / syncretism

Sacrifice – assimilation of culture recognized as an issue

Final Thoughts on Ethnic Futurism

You can see in the above features that ethnic futurism can be unique to it’s culture and have common ideas and goals in the work it produces. Since ethnic futurism is a new term and concept it may be a good idea to write down features as a class in order to better grasp work it produces. You can also see there are many intense themes in ethnic futurism and that may need to be discussed with students of all ages before beginning a text or work.