A Blueprint for Destruction: Eco-activism in Doctor Who during the 1970s

Authors

  • Dolly Jorgensen Umeå University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37536/ECOZONA.2012.3.2.469

Keywords:

television, environmental movement, Doctor Who, science fiction, cultural forum, televisión, movimiento medioambiental, ciencia ficción, foro de la cultura

Abstract

        

        This article analyzes the television science-fiction show Doctor Who as a cultural forum within the context of British eco-activism of the 1970s. It examines four serials which aired during the 1970s during the first wave of eco-activism in the UK: "The Green Death" (1973), "The Invasion of the Dinosaurs" (1974), "The Seeds of Doom" (1976), and "Nightmare of Eden" (1979). Two environmentalist concerns-pollution and species conservation-put forward by the early British eco-activist movement as underscored in texts such as The Blueprint for Survival from 1972 are evident in these serials. While affirming the validity of some elements of environmentalist concerns, each serial also proposes that the ends do not always justify the means. The Doctor, although a supporter of eco-activism, rejects seemingly utopian approaches to reset the Earth's ecosystems. Rather than presenting viewers with a guide to sustainability, these Doctor Who serials offer dystopian visions of future realities steeped in ecological transgressions – these are the blueprints for destruction.

 

Resumen

 

            En este artículo se analiza la serie de ciencia ficción Doctor Who como foro cultural en el contexto del eco-activismo británico de la década de 1970. Se examinan las cuatro series que se emitieron en los años 1970 durante la primera ola del eco-activismo en el Reino Unido: " The Green Death" (1973), "The Invasion of the Dinosaurs" (1974), "The Seeds of Doom" (1976) y "Nightmare of Eden" (1979). Dos preocupaciones medioambientales, la contaminación y la conservación de especies, propuestas en los principios del movimiento eco-activista británico y destacadas en textos como The Blueprint for Survival (1972), son evidentes en estas series. Mientras que se afirma la validez de algunos elementos de las preocupaciones medioambientales, cada serie también propone que el fin no siempre justifica los medios. El Doctor, aunque partidario del eco-activismo, rechaza los planteamientos aparentemente utópicos para restablecer los ecosistemas de la Tierra. En lugar de presentar a los espectadores una guía para la sostenibilidad, estas series de Doctor Who ofrecen visiones distópicas de realidades futuras llenas de transgresiones ecológicas – estas son las directrices de la destrucción.

 

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Author Biography

Dolly Jorgensen, Umeå University

Dolly Jørgensen is an environmental historian who has researched a broad array of topics, including medieval forestry management, late medieval urban sanitation, the modern practice of converting offshore oil structures into artificial reefs, and environmentalism in science fiction. She was a practicing environmental engineer before earning a PhD in history from the University of Virginia, USA, in 2008. She is currently employed at the Department of Ecology & Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden, where she is working on a comparative history of beaver reintroduction in Sweden and the UK.

Additional Files

Published

2012-10-06

Issue

Section

The Invention of Eco-Futures