A Turkish Posthumanist Perspective in Science-Fiction: Ecocritical Approaches in Özlem Ada’s Embriyogenesis

Authors

  • Basak Agin Donmez Instructor at Middle East Technical University, Ankara Ph.D. candidate at Hacettepe University, Ankara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37536/ECOZONA.2012.3.2.476

Keywords:

Turkish literature, Science-Fiction, Posthumanism, Ecocriticism, Apocalypse, Cyborgs, Human-Nonhuman Interaction, Intra-action, literatura turca, ciencia ficción, posthumanismo, ecocrítica, apocalipsis, cyborg, interacción humana/no-humana, intra-acción

Abstract

        The world of science-fiction in Turkey is like a closed circuit, only supported by fans and authors, but an outstanding example, Özlem Ada's Embriyogenesis (1997), provides the reader with a unique experience in the two stories titled "Hisse Senetleri" and "Çaya Yeti?tirilir," which can be respectively translated as "Share Certificates" and "You Can Be Ready for Tea Party." Both stories are analyzed in this paper with an ecocritical approach to science-fiction as regards how this genre plays a crucial role in broadening the horizons of ecocriticism. The posthumanist perspective of the author offers the reader a chance to interrogate how traditional science-fiction uses apocalyptic and complacent modes to create futuristic images of the world. Ada's stories are exceptional to the Turkish science-fiction genre as they are environmentally oriented.

 

Resumen

 

            El mundo de la ciencia ficción en Turquía es como un circuito cerrado, sólo apoyado por fans y autores; pero un ejemplo destacado, Embriyogenesis (1997) de Özlem Ada, proporciona al lector una experiencia única en las historias tituladas "Hisse Senetleri" y "Çaya Yeti?tirilir", que podrían traducirse como “Compartir certificados” y “Puedes estar listo para la fiesta del té”. En este ensayo se analizan ambas historias desde un enfoque ecocrítico en lo referente a cómo la ciencia ficción tiene un papel crucial a la hora de ampliar los horizontes de la ecocrítica. La perspectiva posthumanista de la autora ofrece al lector la oportunidad de cuestionarse cómo la ciencia ficción tradicional usa el modo apocalíptico para crear imágenes futuristas del mundo. Las historias de Ada son excepcionales en el género de la ciencia ficción turca por su orientación medioambiental.

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Author Biography

Basak Agin Donmez, Instructor at Middle East Technical University, Ankara Ph.D. candidate at Hacettepe University, Ankara

Basak Agin Donmez is Instructor at the Department of Basic English at Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey. Ph.D. candidate of the British Cultural Studies Programme at the Department of English Language and Literature of Hacettepe University, in Ankara, Turkey.

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Additional Files

Published

2012-10-06

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2012): The Invention of Eco-Futures

Section

The Invention of Eco-Futures

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