32102

WiSe 18/19: Cultural Theory and Contemporary Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Narrative

Maxi Albrecht

Comments

Dystopian affects and sentiments appear to define the contemporary moment: Franco Berardi posits the end of the utopian imagination and its replacement by a dominantly dystopian one; the dystopian and post-apocalyptic turn have been proclaimed. The field of popular cultural production is marked by a proliferation of dystopian and post-apocalyptic themes and images, ranging from the zombie genre via political dystopias to science fiction's technotopias. Movies, cable and networking television, prominent examples from music video aesthetics such as David Guetta's "Hey Mama" and countless other examples demonstrate how dystopia and post-apocalypse take the mainstream by storm. ----- In this class, we will explore some pertinent examples from this field of pop-cultural production in order the explore the contemporary dystopian moment and these texts' function in the socio-economic cultural order. We will also read these texts alongside and with pertinent texts from the toolbox of cultural theory, such as spatial theory, gender and feminist theory, new materialism etc. For the first part of this class, we will focus on two particularly prominent pop-culture examples: the first five seasons of AMC's hit television series The Walking Dead, and Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy and its movie adaptations, as well as some some science fiction short stories. In the second half of the class, students are encouraged to include and share examples of their choice from contemporary pop-culture. ----- NB: Please be aware that both The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games feature violent and gory content. If you do not feel comfortable watching/reading these narratives on account of their violence, this class is probably not your best choice, because their analysis will be a crucial and obligatory aspect. close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Mon, 12:00 - 14:00 16 Class schedule

Mon, 2018-10-15 12:00 - 14:00

Lecturers:
Maxi Albrecht