Artificial Futures and Posthuman Subjects: Social and Moral Implications of Technology and Scientific Advancement in Spanish Science Fiction By Copyright 2018 Mirla Andrea González Submitted to the graduate degree program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Co-Chair: Jorge Pérez Co-Chair: Margot Versteeg Robert E. Bayliss Verónica Garibotto Chris McKitterick Tamara L. Falicov Date Defended: 7 September 2018 ii The dissertation committee for Mirla Andrea González certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Artificial Futures and Posthuman Subjects: Social and Moral Implications of Technology and Scientific Advancement in Spanish Science Fiction Co-Chair: Jorge Pérez Co-Chair: Margot Versteeg Date Approved: 7 September 2018 iii Abstract Science fiction (SF) is one area where fictional and theoretical writings on science naturally converge. Despite this inherent nature of the genre and its potential to bridge the “two culture” divide between the arts and the sciences, one of the criticisms of literary analyses of SF is that they have by and large failed to examine how the texts present a critique and/or feminist revisioning of scientific discourse. The goal of this dissertation is to help close this gap within literary studies by focusing on the portrayal of “science” in Spanish SF. Given the deeply rooted, contentious and complex relationship that exists in Spain between the remnants of the dictatorship’s conservative gender ideology, the Catholic Church, scientific doctrine, and women’s movements, SF in this country presents a particularly fruitful case study. The short stories, novels and films analyzed in the following chapters dialogue with medicine, law, philosophy and ethics to create a more nuanced discussion of how science and technology (biotechnology, robotics, virtual reality) are creating posthuman identities and radically transforming the maternal body, the nuclear family, and society in the 21 st century. The texts analyzed illustrate that any essentialist position towards science, whether it’s a masculinist and misogynistic bias or a radically feminist stance, is highly problematic and detrimental to society. Ultimately, what comes to light is that it’s not the technologies in and of themselves that are worrying, but the inferior social and political significance that has historically been attributed to the female sex in reproduction and motherhood. As technology and the body become increasingly intertwined, feminist SF can help raise awareness of power inequities, and serve as a space where theory and practice work together to bring about social change. iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank Jorge Pérez for his time and patience in overseeing all of my first drafts and for his willingness to allow me to pursue a project that combines science and literature. Jorge Pérez is an exceptional teacher and mentor and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from him. Thank you! I would also like to thank Margot Versteeg for taking on the role of Co- Chair and for her timely and thorough feedback on all of my chapters. Robert Bayliss and Verónica Garibotto have also generously provided their time and feedback both in the classroom and on this project. Robert Bayliss was the first professor to graciously impart numerous writing strategies and Verónica Garibotto was instrumental in my initial search for how to best combine the study of literature with scientific knowledge and practice. I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to study under Tamara Falicov. Her knowledge of film was invaluable in helping me write my second chapter. I would also like to thank Chris McKitterick for sharing his expertise of science fiction as I drafted my original proposal. Lastly but most importantly, I would like to give a very special thanks to Amy Rossomondo without whose friendship and support this dissertation would never have been completed. Amy was my greatest champion in the department and taught me one of the most valuable lessons: always set high expectations for your students. With help and encouragement, they will exceed them. v To Leo and Darcy vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... IV INTRODUCTION SITUATING SPANISH SF WITHIN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES, FEMINISM, AND POSTHUMANISM ................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 BIOTECHNOLOGY: REPRODUCTION, MOTHERHOOD AND GENDERED HIERARCHIES .................................................................................................. 16 DEFINING UTOPIAN TEXTS WITHIN SCIENCE FICTION ............................................... 18 EVOLUTION OF REPRODUCTIVE THEORY: FEMALE CREATIVE PRINCIPLE .......... 20 THE RISE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN SPAIN ....................................................................... 24 REPRESENATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN CONSECUENCIAS NATURALES ........... 27 REPRESENTATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN PLANETA HEMBRA ............................. 42 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 51 CHAPTER 2 SCIENCE FICTION MEETS MELODRAMA: ANDROIDS AND ROBOTS IN TRADITIONAL FEMALE ROLES .................................................................................... 55 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOLLYWOOD’S SUCCESS AND SPAIN’S CHALLENGES ........................................................................................................................ 57 CO-PRODUCTIONS, GENRE HYBRIDITY, AND FILM FESTIVALS ............................... 62 EVA : A REINCARNATION OF THE FILLE FATALE .......................................................... 72 AUTÓMATA : EVIL HUMANS AND MORAL ROBOTS ....................................................... 84 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 92 vii CHAPTER 3 REAPPROPRIATION OF CYBERPUNK IN 21 ST CENTURY SPAIN: NEOLIBERALISM AND FEMALE ANTIHEROES ............................................................. 96 FEMALE SUBJECTS IN CYBERSPACE IN EL SUEÑO DEL REY ROJO .......................... 101 SWITCH IN THE RED (2009) : A MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE IN NEOLIBERAL BARCELONA ........................................................................................................................ 121 AFRICAN BODIES FOR SALE IN “MIL EUROS POR TU VIDA” .................................... 133 EMBODIED EXPERIENCES: FROM FICTION TO REALITY .......................................... 137 CHAPTER 4 SPANISH SF: ETHICAL AND FEMINIST DISCURSIONS ..................... 140 REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD ........................................................................................... 143 SURROGACY: EXPLOITATION OR EMPOWERMENT? ................................................. 147 MECHANICAL DAUGHTERS AND MOTHERS: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN AI ................................................................................................................................................. 156 SEXBOTS: THE NEW FACE OF PROSTITUTION ............................................................. 161 CONCLUSION: SCIENCE AS ABUSE OF POWER ............................................................ 170 CONCLUSION SCIENCE LITERACY AND NEW HORIZONS ..................................... 173 WORKS CITED........................................................................................................................ 177 1 Introduction Situating Spanish SF within Science and Technology Studies, Feminism, and Posthumanism In an age of invasive biotechnologies, new reproductive techniques, mass surveillance, immigration flows, and neocolonialism, SF remains a powerful and relevant genre. SF is an area where feminist work both in the sciences and the humanities converges, and as such, has the potential to complement societal and public debates about science and technology. However, despite the genre’s inherent potential to bridge the “two culture” divide between the arts and the sciences, one of the criticisms of literary analyses on SF, in particular on feminist SF, is that they have by and large failed to examine how the texts present a critique and/or feminist revisioning of scientific discourse (Merrick “Modest Witnesses” 214). The objective of this dissertation is to help close this gap within literary studies by focusing on the portrayal of “science” in feminist Spanish SF. Like Helen Merrick argues, in contrast to science studies and feminist studies which may be constrained by existing institutions, methodologies and practices: SF is freer to “play” with the languages, cultures, and futures of science: for example, to try and imagine a “feminist science” in a context where the cultural constraints of the contemporary scientific establishment do not render this question difficult, if not impossible to answer … The SF writer's ability to extrapolate or re-vision an entirely different context within which certain scientific facts, discoveries or trends are played out, points to yet another role they can play as “aide” to science studies. SF can postulate an alternative to the cultures, and practices