Tropical Utopia, Tropical Dystopia: Global South Science Fiction and Critical Approaches to International Politics

Abstract There has been a growing interest within the field of International Relations inusing popular culture, especially Sci-Fi, to think about and teach International Relations. However, what the Sci-Fi IR authors have drawn from is quite limited, consisting of movies, shows, and novels produced in the Global North. When it comes to the triptych ‘Sci-Fi/IR/Global South’ the availability of analytical material is scarce. That is the gap this Special Issue hopes to address. In this introductory essay, we would like to suggest that both theory and science fiction, despite their differences, can provide important thinking spaces for the broadening of our understanding of current issues and the conception of alternative futures. To that end, we begin by briefly describing the evolution of Sci-Fi as a genre, emphasizing its connections to historical contexts and Eurocentric perceptions. We follow by introducing some trends in Global South Science Fiction and end with an analysis of some issues at the intersection of IR and SF. We also use this last section as an opportunity to introduce the articles included in the special issue.