Speculative Orientalism: Asian Religions in New Wave Science Fiction

by Sang-Keun Yoo, Alana Vincent (Editor), Nina Fischer (Editor)

Overview

Examining the works of prominent New Wave science fiction authors from the 1950-1960s, Sang-Keun Yoo highlights the underexplored connection between American science fiction and Asian religions, such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.The book considers how the major world wars of the 20th century-Second World War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War- repositioned Asian culture in relation to the science fiction genre in the period.

Underpinning this study, Sang-Keun Yoo argues that “Speculative Orientalism” emerged in American science fiction during the 1950s and 60s. This concept adopted various aspects of Asian religions to envision alternative worlds, unburdened by the constraints of colonialism, totalitarianism, racism, and sexism present in contemporary American society.

Bringing fresh perspectives to the works of William S. Burroughs, Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin and Samuel R. Delany, this book offers an insightful examination of the role of Asian religions in American science fiction and their impact on the genre's history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350447936
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/21/2025
Series:	Bloomsbury Studies in Popular Fiction and Religious Dynamics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sang-Keun Yoo is Assistant Professor of English at Marist University, USA. He has published several articles in Science Fiction Film and Television and other notable publications. He is the Korea Representative for the Science Fiction Research Association
Sang-Keun Yoo is Assistant Professor of English at Marist University, USA. He has published several articles in Science Fiction Film and Television and other notable publications. He is the Korea Representative for the Science Fiction Research Association
Alana M. Vincent is Associate Professor in Religious Studies, Umeå Universitet, Sweden
Nina Fischer is Project Manager and Associate Researcher, “Religious Positioning” Research Hub, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Fischer runs the “Religious Positioning” Research Hub at the Goethe University Frankfurt. She is a (popular) cultural studies scholar working at the intersections of memory, conflict, and interreligious relations. Nina is the author of Memory Work: The Second Generation (2015)

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Series Preface
Introduction: Speculative Orientalism and New Wave Science Fiction
1. The Birth of Speculative Orientalism: British New Wave Science Fiction
2. First Encounter with Asia: The Impact of War Propaganda on American New Wave Science Fiction
3. The Prototype of Speculative Orientalism: William S. Burroughs's Poststructuralist Chinese
4. The Evolution of Speculative Orientalism: From Goods to Religion in Philip K. Dick's Short Stories 1950–1970
5. An Afro-Orientalist Version of Speculative Orientalism: Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren
6. Beyond Speculative Orientalism: The Taoist Temporalities in Ursula K. Le Guin
Conclusion: Speculative Orientalism Now
Index

Editorial Reviews

Through wide-ranging readings of major New Wave SF writers, Sang-Keun Yoo reveals how imaginations about “Asian civilization” have functioned as a signifier of radical alterity and racialized futurity in what is arguably the most critically significant period of American and British science fiction. Bridging postcolonial theory, Asian American studies, and critical SF studies, this rigorous book reframes the global politics of genre fiction and expands the critical horizons of both ethnic and Asian studies. Speculative Orientalism is essential reading for anyone interested in the cultural politics of science fiction, the racial imaginaries of empire, and the shifting place of traditional religion in speculative world-building” —Dr. Sunyoung Park, University of Southern California, USA

“Speculative Orientalism shows how profoundly ideas from Asian cultures transformed Western SF during the influential New Wave era, while adding complexity to our understanding of racialized stereotypes by analyzing this neglected period between the “yellow peril” of early SF and the techno-Orientalism of cyberpunk. Adeptly illustrating the continuing legacies of the speculative Orientalist trope, the book requires us to rethink SF history in light of the significant impact that US military intervention in Asia had on American ways of imagining the future.” —Dr. Sherryl Vint, University of California, Riverside, USA

From the Publisher