Soc-Fi: Sociological Fiction

We asked members to share their favorite works of fiction that illustrate sociological theory in particularly evocative ways. Below are the submissions of Soc-Fi we received.

"Bloodchild" (1984) by Octavia Butler

The story describes the interaction between humans and an alien species on a planet they are inhabiting together.  In the story, a rough situation unfolds with a human giving birth to the aliens species.  I use this story to highlight a complication central to postcolonial theory—there is no possibility of going back once the colonial relationship has been established.  All groups are forever changed by the interaction.  This leaves the question of how to move forward based on this shared history, one rife with inequality. Find Butler’s short story here. 
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Submitted by: Jared Strohl, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Buffalo

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Black Panther (2018)

Erika uses Black Panther to illustrate Weber’s authority types, and looking at what legitimizes each attempted leader’s power throughout the plot of Black Panther. Because of the nature of ideal-types, none of them actually “fit perfectly” into one type, but believe the ensuing class discussion is fruitful. Her teaching diagram is below. 

Submitted by: Erika Sanborne, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Minnesota

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So-FI Zine (2017 - ) ed. Ashleigh Watson

SO FI ZINE is an indie publication for social science and arts cross-disciplinary inquiry. This zine opens and creatively extends the promise and craft of sociological imagination. 

So Fi Zine publishes short stories, cartoons, photo essays, poetry, mini zines, sketches, and other creative works. Launched in 2017, the zine has published over 125 original creative contributions and featured invited pieces by Patricia Leavy, Howard Becker, Mark Carrigan, Les Back, Nirmal Puwar, Raewyn Connell and Michael Burawoy.

Read So Fi Zine here: https://sofizine.com/
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Submitted by: John-Paul Smiley, Independent Scholar