Episode 96: Nationalism is science fiction, with Wajahat Ali
The iconic destruction of the White House, from the movie Independence Day.
A lot of science fiction takes place on other worlds, or deep in the future, and yet still contains recognizable nations and national stereotypes. In this episode, we talk about how science fiction stories are used to promote American nationalism -- and to push back against it. Plus, we're joined by author and pundit Wajahat Ali to explore how science fiction deals with the war on terror.
Citations, Notes, & Etc.
Go Back to Where You Came From, and Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, by Wajahat Ali
Independence Day, dir. Roland Emmerich
Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, by Benedict Anderson (an interview with him about the book is here)
Orientalism, by Edward Said (here he is talking about the experience of being a Palestinian on the BBC in the 1980s)
Tarzan series, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Conan the Barbarian series, created by Robert E. Howard
John Carter series, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Aladdin (the Disney versions)
War of the Worlds radio broadcast, by Orson Welles
The Day the Earth Stood Still, dir Robert Wise
Battlestar Galactica (2004 series), created by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick