The essay considers the decade of the 1980s characterised by a specific media identity: never has any other era produced such a large number of dystopian narratives and such a catastrophic ...anticipation of the future. By retracing the salient moments, as well as the "media principles", of this production, this research identifies alongside the dystopian tension a specular utopian tension, within a true dialectic of the imaginary.
Dystopia, as a typically twentieth-century concept, is analyzed in this article starting from the assumption that it can be considered a sort of extreme utopia aimed at problematizing those ...contradictions that anguish the real through the formulation of an (only apparently) unreal dimension. On the other hand, in its literary form, dystopia can be considered akin to allegory since both, indirectly, express the idea of reality through “other” figures in an attempt to imagine a possible “potential” world. Dystopian and allegorical, in this sense, intertwine with a sort of gradation from a maximum of realistic representation (recognizable places, close dates) to a maximum of unreality (non-place, out of time), pursuing the same goal.
In this article, an analysis is made of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and MaddAddam (2013) from a gendered and generic perspective. The Handmaid’s Tale was one of the novels that ...marked the dystopian turn in the 1980s writing of fiction, while MaddAddam is, for some critics, a feminist critical dystopia in which the ending retains hope for a better future. Consequently, both novels belong a priori to a specific branch of the dystopian genre: the feminist dystopian novel. However, some ambiguity or even contradictory readings can be inferred in both texts. This article explores The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam’s portrayal of women and their acts of resistance in order to assess these texts’ liberatory or still inherently conservative messages of their endings, especially regarding women.
Inward migration has long troubled the European political imagination. For example, an emphasis on fortification and low immigration was key to the civilisational fantasy of many early modern ...European literary Utopias. The dominant contemporary political framing of irregularised migration as a European problem thus leans on an imagined transnational ‘European civilisation’, concretised in the contemporary EU but with roots stretching back centuries. This article examines critical cultural treatments of legal and policy frameworks, grounded in a (supra-)nationalist civilisational myth, which now determine the treatment of irregularised migrants. Specifically, I examine three cultural texts (a novel, a film, and documentary artwork) produced in the years immediately preceding the development of the current Dublin III Regulation, which determines how and where asylum claims are processed in the EU. These three realist primary texts counter the official techno-scientific discourse of territorial integrity using science fictional narrative strategies, generic conventions, and tropes: the 2012 documentary artwork Liquid Traces: The Left to Die Boat Case by Forensic Architecture uses science fictional visualisations to directly confront the deadly effects of European bordering in the Mediterranean. Aki Kaurismäki’s film Le Havre (2011), shows how twentieth-century history haunts contemporary migration fears by spatialising multiple temporalities in the titular city. Finally, Chika Unigwe’s novel On Black Sisters’ Street (2009), explores the colonial dynamics of irregularised migration and the complexities of individual agency, producing a form of critical dystopian engagement with the social and political conditions of the present without being a generic dystopia. These three texts expose the dangers and violence of European bordering, and counter the science fictional civilisational fantasies of its policies. They share an emphasis on the need for solidarity, resistance, and, via encounters with the spectral presences of Europe’s past, they demand forms of historical justice which will break with contemporary dystopian conditions and the hard borders of the present.
Congenital anomalies of the kidneys and upper urinary tract occupy one of the first places among the defects of various organs and systems, accounting for 13–39 % of all congenital malformations and ...up to 5 % of the total number of urological patients. The most common types of anomalies are disorders of the location and shape of the kidneys, including: anomalies of renal fusion, renal dystopia. The aim of the study – to shed light on a clinical case involving a rare abnormality in the development of the urinary system, namely pelvic renal dystopia complicated by terminal hydronephrosis. Materials and methods. The patient, who was hospitalized in the Urology Department of Ternopil University Hospital, underwent general clinical, laboratory, radiological and instrumental methods of examination to assess the state of the urinary system. Results. Patient K. applied to the Ternopil University Hospital with complaints of recurrent paroxysmal pain in the suprapubic area, frequent urges to urinate, which appeared during the last two weeks. At objective physical inspection it is revealed a tumor-like formation above the womb, which deformed the anterior abdominal wall. Laboratory parameters – general, biochemical blood tests, coagulogram and electrocardiogram – without pathological changes. According to the ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and retroperitoneal organs in the projection of the bladder there is an anechoic formation of 220 x 110 cm with a homogeneous content and a wall of 5 mm. The left kidney is not defined. Excretory urography was performed, as a result of which the absence of contour, function of kidney, deformation of the bladder were revealed. As a result of the diagnosis of the disease of this patient it was possible to establish a congenital anomaly of the urinary system, pelvic dystopia of the left kidney complicated with terminal hydronephrosis, which caused compression of the bladder, which, in fact, was the reason for frequent calls to urinate. Conclusions. The results of the analysis of modern world literature show that although the anomalies of the urinary system are among the first congenital malformations of various organs and systems, and renal dystopia is observed in almost 0.24 % of the population, pelvic dystopia complicated by terminal hydronephrosis occurs only in 0.0095 %. Thus, it can be argued that pelvic dystopia complicated by terminal hydronephrosis is a clinical case that is very rare
In this article, an analysis is made of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and MaddAddam (2013) from a gendered and generic perspective. The Handmaid’s Tale was one of the novels that ...marked the dystopian turn in the 1980s writing of fiction, while MaddAddam is, for some critics, a feminist critical dystopia in which the ending retains hope for a better future. Consequently, both novels belong a priori to a specific branch of the dystopian genre: the feminist dystopian novel. However, some ambiguity or even contradictory readings can be inferred in both texts. This article explores The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam’s portrayal of women and their acts of resistance in order to assess these texts’ liberatory or still inherently conservative messages of their endings, especially regarding women.
The book Tender is the Flesh, by Argentine writer Agustina Bazterrica, depicts a society in which a virus has spread among animals across the planet, making their flesh deadly to humans. Pressured by ...the meat industry, governments across the world sanction the breeding and reproduction of human beings as animals for slaughter and we are gradually introduced to the inner workings of a society where cannibalism is legalized. This article seeks to analyze this dystopian narrative through the lens of capitalist realism as proposed by Mark Fisher and discuss the instrumentalization of language and the representation of gender violence in the book considering the concept of absent referent as applied by Carol J. Adams. As a work of contemporary Latin American speculative fiction, we seek to investigate the parallels the book establishes with current social configurations and reflect on social roles often associated with the dystopian genre.
The turbulent conjuncture of global society contributes to deepening the revision of the normative foundations of the social sciences and sociology, favoring changes in analytical perspectives. This ...is very evident in the studies on the gift as systematized by interpreters of Marcel Mauss gathered in the Revue du MAUSS (Anti-Utilitarian Movement in the Social Sciences). These authors update the theoretical-methodological contribution of the gift – initially formulated with three movements, give-receive-retribute – with the introduction of a fourth movement. Thus, we have a broader system of exchanges, ask-give-receive-retribute, whose main formulator is Alain Caillé. This innovation makes it easier to understand voluntary exchanges between individuals situated in distinct moral and economic hierarchies that could not be explained within the limits of the previous triadic system. This new system accompanies the development of studies on relational sociology.
Literatura distópica e sociedade da informação Matos, José claudio; Muriel Torrado, Enrique; Jacintho, Eliana Maria Bahia
Revista Ibero-americana de Ciência da Informação,
01/2021, Letnik:
14, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Discute as menções ao romance 1984 de George Orwell, feitas por Zygmunt Bauman em Modernidade Líquida (2001). Baseia-se na possibilidade de emprego da literatura distópica como instrumento de ...reflexão, em diálogo com trabalhos teóricos sobre a sociedade da informação. O objetivo do estudo é discutir a interpretação feita por Bauman acerca do 1984 e sua adequação como alegoria da sociedade da informação. As alusões de Bauman ao 1984 revelam a presença de conceitos, a saber: metáforas de ‘sólido’ e ‘líquido’, controle informacional, privacidade e espetacularização da vida social. Estudos recentes sobre a sociedade da informação que fazem referência ao 1984 são recuperados e incluídos na discussão. Resulta deste estudo que, embora Bauman sustente que o romance de Orwell seja uma caracterização da etapa ‘sólida’ da sociedade moderna, existem fundamentos para defender uma via divergente de interpretação. A conclusão aponta a existência de elementos para a consideração de questões relativas à sociedade da informação na novela de Orwell. Constata-se como a literatura participa de forma relevante do esforço de compreensão crítica da sociedade da informação.
It discusses the mentions to George Orwell's novel 1984, made by Zygmunt Bauman in Liquid Modernity (2001). It is based on the possibility of using dystopian literature as an instrument of reflection, in dialogue with theoretical works concerning the information society. The aim of this study is to discuss Bauman's interpretation of 1984 and its suitability as an allegory of the information society. Bauman's allusions to 1984 reveal the presence of concepts, namely: metaphors of 'solid' and 'liquid', informational control, privacy and spectacularization of social life. Recent studies on the information society that refer to 1984 are retrieved and included in the discussion. It follows from this study that, although Bauman supports that Orwell's novel is a characterization of the 'solid' stage of modern society, there are grounds for defending a divergent path of interpretation. The conclusion points to the existence of elements for the consideration of issues relating to the information society in Orwell's novel. It is observed how the literature participates in a relevant way in the effort of critical understanding of the information society.
Habla de las menciones de la novela 1984, de George Orwell, realizada por Zygmunt Bauman en Modernidad líquida (2001). Se basa en la posibilidad de utilizar la literatura distópica como instrumento de reflexión, en diálogo con trabajos teóricos sobre la sociedad de la información. El objetivo de este estudio es discutir la interpretación de Bauman del 1984 y su idoneidad como alegoría de la sociedad de la información. Las alusiones de Bauman al 1984 revelan la presencia de conceptos, a saber: metáforas de 'sólido' y 'líquido', control informativo, privacidad y espectacularización de la vida social. Estudios recientes sobre la sociedad de la información que se refieren al 1984 se recuperan e incluyen en el debate. De este estudio se desprende que, aunque Bauman apoya que la novela de Orwell es una caracterización de la etapa “sólida” de la sociedad moderna, hay motivos para defender un camino de interpretación divergente. La conclusión apunta a la existencia de elementos para el examen de las cuestiones relativas a sociedad de la información en la novela de Orwell. Se observa cómo la literatura participa de manera relevante en el esfuerzo de la comprensión crítica de la sociedad de la información.
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