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[[Afrofuturism]] as a genre, describes fictional works which encompasses both [[Black science fiction]] and may engage with any and all structural elements of the broader umbrella of subgenres ([[Horror fiction|horror]], [[fantasy]], [[Magic realism|magical realism]], [[historical fiction]], etc.) classified under Black speculative fiction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carrington |first=André M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vzB0DwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT6&hl=en |title=Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction |date=2016-02-29 |publisher=U of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-1-4529-4975-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lavender (III) |first=Isiah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89u0wwEACAAJ&newbks=0&hl=en |title=Afrofuturism Rising: The Literary Prehistory of a Movement |date=2019 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |isbn=978-0-8142-5556-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bould |first=Mark |date=2007 |title=The Ships Landed Long Ago: Afrofuturism and Black SF |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241520 |journal=Science Fiction Studies |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=177–186 |issn=0091-7729}}</ref>
[[Afrofuturism]] as a genre, describes fictional works which encompasses both [[Black science fiction]] and may engage with any and all structural elements of the broader umbrella of subgenres ([[Horror fiction|horror]], [[fantasy]], [[Magic realism|magical realism]], [[historical fiction]], etc.) classified under Black speculative fiction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carrington |first=André M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vzB0DwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT6&hl=en |title=Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction |date=2016-02-29 |publisher=U of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-1-4529-4975-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lavender (III) |first=Isiah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89u0wwEACAAJ&newbks=0&hl=en |title=Afrofuturism Rising: The Literary Prehistory of a Movement |date=2019 |publisher=Ohio State University Press |isbn=978-0-8142-5556-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bould |first=Mark |date=2007 |title=The Ships Landed Long Ago: Afrofuturism and Black SF |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4241520 |journal=Science Fiction Studies |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=177–186 |issn=0091-7729}}</ref>


Afrofuturist literary works resist singular notions of a “Black” cultural experience.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Culture |first=Nat'l Mus Afr Am Hist |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KH-FEAAAQBAJ&newbks=0&hl=en |title=Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures |date=2023-03-21 |publisher=Soho Press |isbn=978-1-58834-740-4 |language=en}}</ref> Instead, Afrofuturist narratives draw upon a variety of ethnic, national, regional histories, cosmologies, as well as indigenous religious frameworks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McDougall |first=Audrey Suzanne |date=2020-05-15 |title=Afrofuturism: Blackness, Sound, and Counter-Narratives |url=https://jis.athabascau.ca/index.php/jis/article/view/336 |journal=Journal of Integrated Studies |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |issn=2816-3001}}</ref> Thematically, Afrofuturist literature delves into revisionist or [[Alternate history|alternative history]] making, while galvanizing conversations on [[Social justice|social injustice]] and [[Black power movement|Black liberation]]. Afrofuturist literature investigates questions of Black intellectual production, materiality, and intellectual ownership, while reimagining the potential futures of individuals within the [[African diaspora|Afrodiaspora]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ogbunu |first=C. Brandon |title=How Afrofuturism Can Help the World Mend |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-afrofuturism-can-help-the-world-mend/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>
Afrofuturist literary works resist singular notions of a “Black” cultural experience.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Culture |first=Nat'l Mus Afr Am Hist |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KH-FEAAAQBAJ&newbks=0&hl=en |title=Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures |date=2023-03-21 |publisher=Soho Press |isbn=978-1-58834-740-4 |language=en}}</ref> Instead, Afrofuturist narratives draw upon a variety of ethnic, national, regional histories, cosmologies, as well as indigenous religious frameworks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McDougall |first=Audrey Suzanne |date=2020-05-15 |title=Afrofuturism: Blackness, Sound, and Counter-Narratives |url=https://jis.athabascau.ca/index.php/jis/article/view/336 |journal=Journal of Integrated Studies |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |issn=2816-3001}}</ref> Thematically, Afrofuturist literature delves into revisionist or [[Alternate history|alternative history]] making, while galvanizing conversations on [[Social justice|social injustice]] and [[Black power movement|Black liberation]]. Afrofuturist literature investigates questions of Black intellectual production, materiality, and intellectual ownership, while reimagining the potential futures of individuals within the [[African diaspora|Afrodiaspora]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ogbunu |first=C. Brandon |title=How Afrofuturism Can Help the World Mend |url=https://www.wired.com/story/how-afrofuturism-can-help-the-world-mend/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>

The emerging genre of Afrofuturist literature is influenced by two ontological strands, [[Afro-pessimism (United States)|Afro-pessimism]] and Black optimism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hill-Jarrett |first=Tanisha G. |date=2023 |title=The Black radical imagination: a space of hope and possible futures |url=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1241922 |journal=Frontiers in Neurology |volume=14 |doi=10.3389/fneur.2023.1241922 |issn=1664-2295 |pmc=PMC10557459 |pmid=37808484}}</ref> Afro-pessimism asserts that the violence of colonialism and slavery contributes to a definition of Blackness as a state of non-being. In this state, Black individuals exist within and yet are alienated from the rest of society.


Although the term became common in the 1990s, some scholars apply the genre to works that were written earlier, such as [[W. E. B. Du Bois|W. E. B. Du Bois's]] ''[[Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil]]'' (1920) and [[Ralph Ellison|Ralph Ellison's]] ''[[Invisible Man]]'' (1952).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Sheree R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Km1-BAAAQBAJ |title=Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora |date=2014-12-02 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |isbn=978-1-4555-3415-9 |language=en}}</ref> While Afrofuturism is most commonly associated with [[science fiction]], it can also encompass other speculative genres such as [[fantasy]], [[alternate history]], and [[magic realism]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-26 |title=afrofuturism is the sh*t: a brief history and five books to get you started |url=https://afropunk.com/2017/10/afrofuturism-sht-brief-history-five-books-get-started/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=AFROPUNK |language=en-US}}</ref> Although the term, Afrofuturist, has been applied broadly to works by authors from Africa and the African diaspora, some African authors have rejected the term and prefer [[Africanfuturism]] as a description of their work.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-27 |title=Los Angeles Review of Books |url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/afrofuturism-africanfuturism-and-the-language-of-black-speculative-literature/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Los Angeles Review of Books |language=en}}</ref>
Although the term became common in the 1990s, some scholars apply the genre to works that were written earlier, such as [[W. E. B. Du Bois|W. E. B. Du Bois's]] ''[[Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil]]'' (1920) and [[Ralph Ellison|Ralph Ellison's]] ''[[Invisible Man]]'' (1952).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Sheree R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Km1-BAAAQBAJ |title=Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora |date=2014-12-02 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |isbn=978-1-4555-3415-9 |language=en}}</ref> While Afrofuturism is most commonly associated with [[science fiction]], it can also encompass other speculative genres such as [[fantasy]], [[alternate history]], and [[magic realism]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-26 |title=afrofuturism is the sh*t: a brief history and five books to get you started |url=https://afropunk.com/2017/10/afrofuturism-sht-brief-history-five-books-get-started/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=AFROPUNK |language=en-US}}</ref> Although the term, Afrofuturist, has been applied broadly to works by authors from Africa and the African diaspora, some African authors have rejected the term and prefer [[Africanfuturism]] as a description of their work.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-27 |title=Los Angeles Review of Books |url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/afrofuturism-africanfuturism-and-the-language-of-black-speculative-literature/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Los Angeles Review of Books |language=en}}</ref>

Revision as of 19:05, 6 February 2024

Afrofuturism as a genre, describes fictional works which encompasses both Black science fiction and may engage with any and all structural elements of the broader umbrella of subgenres (horror, fantasy, magical realism, historical fiction, etc.) classified under Black speculative fiction.[1][2][3]

Afrofuturist literary works resist singular notions of a “Black” cultural experience.[4] Instead, Afrofuturist narratives draw upon a variety of ethnic, national, regional histories, cosmologies, as well as indigenous religious frameworks.[5] Thematically, Afrofuturist literature delves into revisionist or alternative history making, while galvanizing conversations on social injustice and Black liberation. Afrofuturist literature investigates questions of Black intellectual production, materiality, and intellectual ownership, while reimagining the potential futures of individuals within the Afrodiaspora.[6]

The emerging genre of Afrofuturist literature is influenced by two ontological strands, Afro-pessimism and Black optimism.[7] Afro-pessimism asserts that the violence of colonialism and slavery contributes to a definition of Blackness as a state of non-being. In this state, Black individuals exist within and yet are alienated from the rest of society.

Although the term became common in the 1990s, some scholars apply the genre to works that were written earlier, such as W. E. B. Du Bois's Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil (1920) and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952).[8] While Afrofuturism is most commonly associated with science fiction, it can also encompass other speculative genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and magic realism.[9] Although the term, Afrofuturist, has been applied broadly to works by authors from Africa and the African diaspora, some African authors have rejected the term and prefer Africanfuturism as a description of their work.[10]

List of Afrofuturist literature

Author(s)/Editor(s) Year Title
Brissett, Jennifer Marie 2014 Elysium, Or, The World After[11]
Butler, Octavia 1979 Kindred
Du Bois, W. E. B. 1920 Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil[12]
Ellison, Ralph 1952 Invisible Man
Hopkinson, Nalo 1998 Brown Girl in the Ring[13]
Jemisin, N.K. 2015 The Fifth Season
Jennings, John; Robinson, Stacey 2013 Black Kirby: In Search Of: The Motherboxx Connection[14]
Due, Tananarive 1997 My Soul to Keep[15]
Farmer, Nancy 1994 The Ear, the Eye and the Arm[16]
Wilson, Kai Ashante 2015 The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps
James, Marlon 2019 Black Leopard, Red Wolf[17]
Schuyler, George 1931 Black No More
Adeyemi, Tomi 2018 Children of Blood and Bone[18]
Tutuola, Amos 1952 The Palm-Wine Drinkard
Callender, Kacen 2019 Queen of the Conquered[19]
Johnson, Mat 2011 Pym[20]
Okri, Ben 1991 The Famished Road
Deonn, Tracy 2020 Legendborn
Whitehead, Colson 2011 Zone One[21]
Bayron, Kalynn 2020 Cinderella is Dead
Ifueko, Jordan 2020 Raybearer[16]
Monáe, Janelle 2022 The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer[22]
Clarke, Matthew; Lynch, Nigel 2021 Hardears[23][24]
Fielder, Tim 2021 Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale[25][26]
Campbell, Bill; Hall, Edward Austin 2013 Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond[27]
Olayiwola, Porsha 2019 i shimmer sometimes, too[28]
Ashante Wilson, Kai 2015 The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps
Reed, Ishmael 1972 Mumbo Jumbo[29][30]
Lord, Karen 2014 The Galaxy Game[31]
Roye Okupe 2015 E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale WIlliams[32]
Johnson, Dawn Alaya 2020 Trouble The Saints [33]
Kwame, Mbalia 2019 Tristian Strong Punches a Hole in the sky [34]
Kwame, Mbalia 2020 Tristian Strong Destroys the World [35]
Banks, Leslie 2003 The Vampire Huntress Legend Series: Minion[36]
Mbalia, Kwame 2019 Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky[37]

References

  1. ^ Carrington, André M. (2016-02-29). Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-4975-8.
  2. ^ Lavender (III), Isiah (2019). Afrofuturism Rising: The Literary Prehistory of a Movement. Ohio State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8142-5556-8.
  3. ^ Bould, Mark (2007). "The Ships Landed Long Ago: Afrofuturism and Black SF". Science Fiction Studies. 34 (2): 177–186. ISSN 0091-7729.
  4. ^ Culture, Nat'l Mus Afr Am Hist (2023-03-21). Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures. Soho Press. ISBN 978-1-58834-740-4.
  5. ^ McDougall, Audrey Suzanne (2020-05-15). "Afrofuturism: Blackness, Sound, and Counter-Narratives". Journal of Integrated Studies. 12 (1). ISSN 2816-3001.
  6. ^ Ogbunu, C. Brandon. "How Afrofuturism Can Help the World Mend". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  7. ^ Hill-Jarrett, Tanisha G. (2023). "The Black radical imagination: a space of hope and possible futures". Frontiers in Neurology. 14. doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1241922. ISSN 1664-2295. PMC 10557459. PMID 37808484.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  8. ^ Thomas, Sheree R. (2014-12-02). Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4555-3415-9.
  9. ^ "afrofuturism is the sh*t: a brief history and five books to get you started". AFROPUNK. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  11. ^ "Afrofuturism beginner's reading list: Octavia E. Butler, N.K. Jemisin, Janelle Monáe, more". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  12. ^ Cheatam, Safiyah (2020-07-31). "Making a Case for W.E.B. Du Bois as a Proto Afrofuturist". The Drinking Gourd. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  13. ^ "Narrative Muse | Brown Girl in the Ring | Book". Narrative Muse. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  14. ^ Jennings, John; Robinson, Stacey (2013). Black Kirby. Buffalo, NY: Black Kirby Collective in association with Eye Trauma Studio/ J2D2/ URBAN KREEP ENTERPRISES and Trimekka Studios.
  15. ^ Sanchez-Taylor, Joy (2020-03-22). "Alternative Futurisms: Tananarive Due's African Immortal Series". Extrapolation. 61 (1): 91–109.
  16. ^ a b "Afrofuturism Fiction Suggestions for Kids, Teens & Adults". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  17. ^ Power, Ed. "Book Review: Black Leopard, Red Wolf". Hotpress. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  18. ^ II, Vann R. Newkirk (2018-03-06). "Where Fantasy Meets Black Lives Matter". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  19. ^ "Explore Afrofuturism, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy". Carmel Clay Public Library. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  20. ^ "An Afro Futurism book - Extreme Reader 2021". Tacoma Public Library. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  21. ^ "Afrofuturism beginner's reading list: Octavia E. Butler, N.K. Jemisin, Janelle Monáe, more". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  22. ^ Kearse, Stephen (2022-04-19). "Janelle Monáe's Queer, Afrofuturist Literary Debut". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  23. ^ Lynch, Clarke, Matthew & Nigel. "Hardears". Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Bould, Mark (2007). "The Ships Landed Long Ago: Afrofuturism and Black SF". Science Fiction Studies. 34 (2): 177–186. ISSN 0091-7729. JSTOR 4241520.
  25. ^ "Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale: Illustrator-Author Tim Fielder Looks to the Future With a Modern Epic". The Root. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  26. ^ Fielder, Tim (2021-01-19). Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-306788-2.
  27. ^ Campbell, Bill; Hall, Edward Austin (2013). Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond. Rosarium Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9891411-4-7.
  28. ^ Olayiwola, Porsha (2019). i shimmer sometimes, too. Button Poetry. ISBN 978-1-9437354-5-7.
  29. ^ Kim, Myungsung (2018). "The Grapevine Telegraph "Jes Grew": Sonic Materialism, Afrofuturism and Information Theory in Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo". TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies. 39: 89–109. ISSN 1916-0194.
  30. ^ Reed, Ishmael (2013-01-29). Mumbo Jumbo. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-4532-8797-2.
  31. ^ "Must-Read Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism Books | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  32. ^ Ito, Robert (2021-02-07). "Beyond 'Black Panther': Afrofuturism Is Booming in Comics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  33. ^ "Finding Room for Black Hope, Black Justice, and Black Love in Noir Fiction". CrimeReads. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  34. ^ Stephens, John (2019-10-23). "A Debut Fantasy Novel Summons the Power of African Myths". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  35. ^ "Review: Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia". Bayley Reads Books. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  36. ^ "Afrofuturism Fiction Suggestions for Kids, Teens & Adults". New York Public Library. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  37. ^ "Traversing the Gaps: An Afrofuturist Approach to Social Change Through Dreaming in Science Fiction and STEM/Computer Science Education * Journal of Futures Studies". Journal of Futures Studies. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
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