Luorld Ujeauers Globalization, Scienc E Fiction , an D the Cyberneti C Revolutio N
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LUorld UJeauers Globalization, Scienc e Fiction , an d the Cyberneti c Revolutio n edited by Wong Ki n Yuen, Gary Westfahl an d Amy Kit-sz e Cha n # m *> ¥ * a f t HONG KON G UNIVERSIT Y PRES S Hong Kong University Pres s 14/F Hing Wai Centr e 7 Tin Wa n Pray a Roa d Aberdeen Hong Kon g © Hong Kon g University Pres s 200 5 ISBN 96 2 209 72 1 9 (Hardback ) ISBN 96 2 209 72 2 7 (Paperback ) All right s reserved . No portion o f this publication ma y b e reproduced o r transmitted i n an y form o r by any means , electronic o r mechanical, includin g photocopy, recording , or any information storag e o r retrieval system , withou t permission i n writing fro m th e publisher . Secure On-line Orderin g http://www.hkupress.org British Librar y Cataloguing-in-Publicatio n Dat a A catalogue recor d fo r thi s boo k i s availabl e from th e British Library . Printed and bound by Kings Time Printing Press Ltd., in Hong Kong, China Hong Kon g University Pres s is honoured tha t X u Bing, whose ar t explores the complex themes of language across cultures, has written the Press's name in his Squar e Word Calligraphy. This signals our commitment t o cross-cultural thinkin g and the distinctive natur e of our English-language books published in China. "At first glance, Square Word Calligraphy appears to be nothing more unusual tha n Chines e characters , bu t i n fac t i t i s a new wa y o f rendering English words in the format o f a square so they resemble Chinese characters. Chinese viewers expect to be able to read Square Word Calligraph y bu t cannot . Wester n viewers , howeve r ar e surprised to find the y can read it. Delight erupts when meaning is unexpectedly revealed/ 7 — Britta Erickson, The Art of Xu Bing Contents Contributors i x Introduction From Semaphor s an d Steamship s t o Server s an d 1 Spaceships: The Sag a o f Globalization, Scienc e Fiction , and the Cyberneti c Revolutio n Gary Westfahl Part I Globa l Perspective s 5 1. Goin g Mobile: Tradition, Technology , an d the Cultural Monad 7 George Slusser 2. Urbe et Orbe: A Prehistor y o f the Postmodern Worl d City 2 5 Howard V. Hendrix 3. 2001 , or A Cyberpalace Odyssey : Toward the Ideographi c 4 1 Imagination Takayuki Tatsumi 4. Th e Genealog y o f the Cybor g in Japanes e Popula r Cultur e 5 5 Sharalyn Orbaugh 5. Hermeneutic s an d Taiwan Scienc e Fiction 7 3 Wong Kin Yuen VI CONTENTS 6. I s Utopia Obsolete ? Implodin g Boundarie s i n Nea l 9 5 Stephenson's The Diamond Age N. Katherine Hayles Part II: History Lesson s 11 1 7. Tale s o f Future s Passed : The Kiplin g Continuum an d Other 11 3 Lost Worlds o f Scienc e Fictio n Andy Sawyer 8. Globalizatio n i n Japanes e Scienc e Fiction , 190 0 and 1963 : 13 5 The Seabed Warship an d Its Re-Interpretatio n Thomas Schnellbacher 9. Th e Limit s o f "Humanity " i n Comparativ e Perspective : 14 3 Cordwainer Smit h an d the Soushenji Lisa Raphals 10. Th e Ide a o f the Asia n i n Phili p K . Dick's The Man in the 15 7 High Castle Jake fakaitis 11. Godzilla' s Travels: The Evolution o f a Globalized Gargantua n 16 7 Gary Westfahl Part III: Contemporary Cas e Studies 18 9 12. Blac k Secre t Technology : Africa n Technologica l Subject s 19 1 Gerald Gaylard 13. Th e Teet h o f the New Cockatoo : Mutation an d Trauma i n 20 5 Greg Egan's Teranesia Chris Palmer 14. Whe n Cyberfeminis m Meet s Chines e Philosophy : 21 5 Computer, Weavin g and Wome n Amy Kit-sz e Cha n 15. Hollywoo d Enter s the Drago n 23 3 Veronique Flambard-Weisbart CONTENTS VII 16. Romeo Must Die: Action an d Agency in Hollywoo d 24 5 and Hong Kon g Action Film s Susanne Rieser and Susanne Lummerding Afterword 25 5 Wong Kin Yuen and Amy Kit-sze Chan Notes 25 9 Bibliography o f Works Related t o Globalization , Scienc e 28 7 Fiction, an d the Cyberneti c Revolutio n Index 301 Contributors Amy Kit-sze CHAN is Associate Director o f the Technoscience Cultur e Research an d Developmen t Centre , an d a n assistan t professo r a t th e Department o f English Language and Literature, at the Hong Kong Shue Yan College. She also teaches technoscience culture and the culture o f travel in th e M.A . Programme o f Intercultural Studie s a t th e Chines e University o f Hong Kong. Her research interests include technoscienc e culture, gende r studies , SF , Chinese minorit y studie s an d cultura l studies. Veronique FLAMBARD-WEISBART is an associate professor o f Frenc h at Loyol a Marymoun t University , Directo r o f th e University' s Stud y Abroad Program , an d an exper t i n martial arts . Gerald GAYLARD lectures in the English Department at the University of the Witwatersrand, Sout h Africa. At present he is working on a book on Africa n magica l realism . N. Katherin e HAYLES , Professo r o f Englis h a t th e Universit y o f California Lo s Angeles, is the author o f How We Became Posthuman. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship , fellowships fro m th e National Endowmen t fo r th e Humanities , a Presidentia l Researc h Fellowship fro m th e Universit y o f California , th e Ren e Welle k Prize , and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Associatio n for th e Fantasti c in th e Arts. Howard V. HENDRIX is the author o f the novels Lightpaths, Standing Wave, Better Angels, an d Empty Cities of the Full Moon, a s well a s a X CONTRIBUTORS scholarly book, The Ecstacy of Catastrophe, an d numerous short stories. He i s Wester n Regiona l Directo r o f th e Scienc e Fictio n an d Fantas y Writers o f Americ a an d teache s Englis h literatur e a t Californi a Stat e University, Fresno . Jake JAKAITIS, an associat e professor o f English an d women's studie s at Indian a Stat e University , ha s publishe d article s o n Phili p K . Dic k and Don DeLillo . Susanne LUMMERDIN G ha s taugh t a t th e Universit y o f Fin e Arts , Vienna,- the Car l von Ossietzk y University , Oldenburg , Germany ; an d the Cente r fo r Twentiet h Centur y Studie s a t th e Universit y o f Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Sh e has publishe d a book an d severa l article s on theorie s o f agenc y an d gender studies . Sharalyn ORBAUG H i s a n associat e professo r o f Asia n studie s an d women's studie s a t th e Universit y o f Britis h Columbia . He r work o n Japanese science fiction has appeared in Science Fiction Studies an d the critical antholog y Gender and Power in the Japanese Visual Field. Chris PALMER is Professor o f English at La Trobe University. His essays on Philip K . Dick have appeared in the journals Science Fiction Studies and Extrapolation, an d he wil l soo n publish a critical stud y o f Dick . Lisa RAPHALS is an associate professor o f comparative literature at the University o f California, Riverside . Her works include Knowing Words: Wisdom and Cunning in the Classical Traditions of China and Greece and Sharing the Light: Representations of Women and Virtue in Early China. Susanne RIESE R teache s fil m studies , popula r cultur e an d women' s studies a t the University o f Vienna an d the University o f Graz. Sh e is now researchin g he r forthcoming boo k o n action films . Andy SAWYE R is Librarian in charge of the Science Fiction Foundatio n Collection a t th e Universit y o f Liverpoo l Librar y an d deput y cours e director o f the M.A. in S F Studies offered by the University o f Liverpoo l Department o f Englis h Languag e an d Literature . H e i s als o Review s Editor o f Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction. CONTRIBUTORS XI Thomas SCHNELLBACHER, who received a doctoral degree from Berli n Free University with a dissertation o n Kob o Abe, currently works a s a freelance translator . George SLUSSER, Professor o f Comparative Literature at the University of California , Riverside , i s th e autho r o r co-edito r o f ove r tw o doze n books abou t scienc e fictio n an d fantasy . H e ha s earne d th e Scienc e Fiction Researc h Association' s Pilgri m Awar d fo r hi s scienc e fictio n scholarship.