Beyond Dystopia: The Politics of the Speculative

Speculative fiction is a genre that has the power to change the world.

When we imagine alternative futures, presents, or even pasts, we are asking the ultimate question: "What if the world was different?"

It’s a question that is inherently political, and it's why some of the most powerful and impactful literature in history has been in this genre. Authors like Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, George Orwell, Frank Herbert, and more contemporary authors such as NK Jemisin, have all used speculative fiction to explore injustices, open new perspectives, and ask difficult questions. The genre often makes us uncomfortable, but that's the point.

Politics, too, is an art of speculation. It speculates about different futures and sets out to reshape society through policies, laws, and programs. The approach may differ, but the goal is the same.

So why are there those who insist that speculative fiction should only be about entertainment and that politics has no place in science fiction and fantasy?

Politics is a dirty word.

In the modern day, our politics has become incredibly polarized. Thanks to social media algorithms, people are divided along sharp ideological lines, and this has seeped into conversations about our fiction. In speculative fiction, this came to a head several years ago when the now-defunct Sad Puppies group attempted, unsuccessfully, to game the Hugo awards in the name of apolitical and anti-diversity science fiction and fantasy.

In this environment, it can be tempting to suggest that in our fiction, at least, we should be able to find a respite from the culture wars. To pause the endless political warfare and enjoy a straight forward space opera. Just let us enjoy a good old fashioned Doctor Who, I hear them cry.

But even if that were possible - and it's not, because the status quo is itself a political choice - I’d argue it’s not in our interest.

We need to be able to grapple with the world we live in. We're drawn to explore the issues that animate us and challenge us. We want somewhere to test ideas and explore possibilities. It's a basic human urge, a result of the fact that the human animal is - you guessed it - inherently political.

There is no fictional genre in the world, in my opinion, better suited to our times than speculative fiction.

Imagining a world beyond dystopia.

Over the years, dystopian fiction has been a staple of the speculative fiction world. From Big Brother in 1984 to the Hunger Games' Panem, we are fascinated by what the world would look like if the worst realities we could imagine came true. But that's not where speculative fiction ends.

In speculative fiction, we can test out new approaches, play with polarizing concepts, explore alternatives, and ask big questions. We can ask "what if society was matriarchal," "what if our relationships were all polygamous," or "what if climate change led to widespread economic collapse," and test-drive those realities. We can take ourselves to many possible futures and ask, "what then?" We can explore who we would be, and who we would need to be, in order to create something new.

In speculative fiction, we can map out our way to a world beyond dystopia.

That's why, in my humble opinion, it's the greatest genre in the world.