History and Speculative Fiction: Essays in Honor of Gunlög Fur
In honor of the thirtieth anniversary of her PhD, Linnaeus University Professor of History Gunlög Fur was presented with a festschrift, History and Speculative Fiction, on 18 January 2024.
The anthology brings together thirteen scholars from various disciplines, backgrounds and countries to explore the productive intersections between history and speculative fiction, broadly defined. Reflecting the longstanding work of Gunlög Fur and LNUC Concurrences, History and Speculative Fiction considers how both historical knowledge and imagined futures can help us to creatively solve major problems facing humanity, from environmental destruction to the persistent legacies of colonialism. Contributions examine everything from the screening of blockbuster science fiction films in apartheid South Africa to themes of environmentalism in the works of Ursula K. LeGuin and dramatizations of racism and history in Star Trek: Voyager. Completing its multidisciplinary approach, the collection concludes with an original short story by David Belden. The book is available as a print book and open access online through publisher Palgrave Macmillan.