BREAKING: The range of published science fiction caters overwhelmingly to a white male audience.

[nanila]

My friend foxfinial has been getting a lot of undeserved flak for pointing out that some aspects of the dialogue at Eastercon were overtly misinformed and racist. Eastercon, for the uninitiated (which I certainly was before last weekend), is the annual British National Science Fiction convention.

I participated in Eastercon this year as a panelist and a speaker on the Friday. Now, I was fortunate enough to have been invited by a friend and colleague, purplecthulhu, who did a wonderful job making me feel both welcome and comfortable. He helped keep me included in the dialogue during the panel on the space race. I did some of this myself, mind, but I can't deny that it was a boon to have him checking to be sure that each time a topic was introduced, I got to have my say if I wanted, and to prevent me from being put on the spot by the more experienced members of the panel and the audience. This is not an action to be dismissed lightly when there are four people on the panel and you are the only person who is female and not white. purplecthulhu, I salute you.

Despite seeing positive responses to my talk on Twitter under the #eastercon hashtag, I can't ignore that the majority of the audience was male and white. And while I hope that being a "hardcore science bug" who loves her job, as one person labelled me, left the impression that women can indeed be dedicated, enthusiastic engineers and scientists, I have trouble believing that it's an impression that will have a lasting impact.

Why? Because I don't find that most science fiction speaks to me. I received two free books at Eastercon. I got about halfway through both of them, but have little motivation to finish because they didn't engage me. The main characters are male, angst-ridden and on journeys that involve a lot of interaction with other male authority figures. The women, if they are present, are either brawny sidekicks or romantic interests. Even if they're described as clever or technically adept, they never display it through dialogue or the mechanisms of the plot. And did I mention that everybody's white? At the very least, that's what the front covers would have you believe, and when you read the character descriptions - pale skin and white-blonde hair predominating - the image becomes indelible.

So I'm afraid that despite my willing participation in Eastercon and my enthusiasm for the future of space exploration and science, I am not willing to state categorically that science fiction and its fandoms are free of problematic racist and sexist associations that are being propagated by publisher's choices. Attacking people like foxfinial is not going to fix the problem. Pointing out that something is racist is not, in fact, worse than being racist. If you write science fiction, change your choices of main characters, the cultures in which you place them and the journeys you send them on. If you read science fiction, select, review and praise those books. Only then will the perception of science fiction become diverse and inclusive. Because it actually will be.

Comments

[soliano]

growing up when I did, all of what I read fit that mold. I would hope with e-publishing that a new market will develop for other flavors of fiction. When it is all there is you buy it. I have not read The Hunger Games, does that not herald a different future?

[foxfinial]

Oh I completely forgot to mention the free books! I read a few choice excerpts from one of the them that made me want to throw bricks (or the book), while the other's back cover copy repelled me so hard I couldn't bring myself to open it.

Even if they're described as clever or technically adept, they never display it through dialogue or the mechanisms of the plot.

Yesssss. I hate it so hard when this happens. Show the women being competent! It's not difficult! There are a lot of diverse, varied real-life role models to choose from!

[surpassingly]

So many thoughts about this, cannot articulate, but just wanted to say: Yes. THIS. -- to your entire post, and especially the last paragraph.

[lark_ascends]

Is very white, but I can definitely see that everything you say is correct - it's all still a huge issue in sci fi (and so many other aspects of life). And I so wish it wasn't.

I don't read much sci fi, only seem to watch it on TV/movies.

[sunflowerinrain]

I have read and enjoyed science fiction since the age of 10 (introduced to it by my mother), but I can see what you mean. It's not only male white dominated, it's USian/Anglosaxon-dominated too. There were some early French writers, but not a lot since; other languages don't get much of a look-in.

There are good female writers, though rather more in fantasy than SF. I'd recommend Ursula K. Leguin, and especially "Winter's King" for a wonderfully different take on sex, gender, and race.

[caulkhead]

Serious question. At what point does If you write science fiction, change your choices of main characters, the cultures in which you place them and the journeys you send them on become cultural appropriation, if you're writing about a culture that's not yours in the first place? I'm not trying to stir, I honestly don't know.

[miss_s_b]

You might find some SF you'd like better than the freebies here: http://www.feministsf.org/

[pbristow]

A-bloody-men!!
(And lots more bloomin' womans! =;o} )

See also: http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com/436858.html

Seanan writes wonderful non-sappy Urban Fantasy, BTW, with a grumpy half-fae heroine by the name of Toby Daye. She's also got a zombie armaggedon series out under her pseudonym of Mira Grant, and is this year a quadruple nominee for the Hugo awards - So there's hope for the genre yet... But we need to keep the pressure up.

For SF/Urban Fantasy with some actual non-white people in it, try Ben Aaronovitch. His "Rivers of London" series scores well on that side (as well as being a more realistic and up-to-date than usual portrayal of London's general population, their attitudes, patterns of speech etc. - Kind of ironic for a fantasy series!), although not *so* great so far on the gender politics. The narrator and his team are both male, as are most of their colleagues, although it looks like at least one of the female regulars will becoming more actively involved in forthcoming books... [CROSSES FINGERS]

I wish I could recommend some SF/F that does an outstanding job on both the gender *and* race fronts, but so far I haven't really found any... =:o\ It's a lot easier to find decently written female characters in SF, though, than it is decently written non white or non-Western characters, especially if you look out for the female authors. Lois McMaster Bujold is a long-term favourite; J.D. Robb's near-future police series is more formulaic (and very white, and somewhat right-wing, and the writing is less subtle (why do I love this series again?!? =8oO Oh yeah...)), but it has some great characters of both genders.

[ceb]

I don't find that most science fiction speaks to me. I received two free books at Eastercon.

Goodness me, *please* don't judge SF by the free books that get given out at conventions. Much of the time they are rubbish and there's a reason why they're being given away free. The hidden gems in the con pack are few and far between (having said that, I did get a Lauren Beukes a few years back, you should totally read Lauren Beukes).