Consider the ways in which the Medieval European notion of other peoples as monsters resonates through the history of English literature and American film & TV, especially in contemporary genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and horror.  Describe an example of a contemporary or classic example of popular literature or film in which its fictional depiction of fantastic beasts, monsters, extraterrestrials, or other species of people suggests the racialized European notions of other cultures. With a fictional depiction of “race” and “culture,” does the example suggest the legacy of European colonialism (but in a fictional setting) or even neocolonialism?
Some obvious fantasy and science fiction examples are the fictional universes of Disney’s Aladdin,Star Wars, Star Trek, and Avatar, but your selection can also include the worlds of the Harry Potter series, the Twilight Saga, The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, and, of course, Game of Thrones.
MEDIA EDUCATION
FOUNDATION
T R A N S C R I PT
Challenging media
EDWARD SAID: ON ‘ORIENTALISM’
EDWARD SAID
On ‘Orientalism’
Executive Producer & Director: Sut Jhally
Producer & Editor: Sanjay Talreja
Assistant Editor: Jeremy Smith
Featuring an interview with Edward Said Professor, Columbia University and author of
Orientalism
Introduced by Sut Jhally University of Massachusetts-Amherst