HISTORICAL RESEARCH STUDY:

Examining the causality of 20th century science

fiction and technological and communicative advancements.

Carolyn BatesUniversity of Wisconsin—MilwaukeeSchool of Information Studies

Related Literature• Ethnographies of science fiction fandom: language, publications, social tolerance, “epistemological distances,” globalization– Bacon-Smith, C. (2000). Science Fiction Culture. Philadelphia:

University of Pennsylvania Press.– Yuen, W.K. & Westfahl, G. & Chan, A.K. (2005). World Weavers:

Globalization, Science Fiction, and the Cybernetic Revolution. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

• Science fiction articulating societal views towards science:– Barnes, John.  (1995). Information and unfictionable

science. Information Technology and Libraries, 14(4), 247. – Theall, D. (1980). On Science Fiction as Symbolic Communication.

Science Fiction Studies, 7(3), 247-262. Retrieved from Humanities International Complete database.

• The metaphorical role of libraries in science fiction:– Gunn, J. (1995). ‘Dreams written out’: Libraries in Science

Fiction. Wilson Library Bulletin, 69(6), 26.

• Science fiction as a pedagogical tool:– Hartwell, D. (1984). Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of

Science Fiction. New York: Walker and Company.

Research Strategy• An investigation of sources and influences, and a simultaneous study of the history of ideas, relating to the genre of science fiction

• Purpose Statement:These historical research methods will be used to look at specific instances within fiction (defined as books, film, and video games) and their paralleled, existent scientific developments. Explicitly, the chronological development from fantasy to fact can be measured by a qualitative survey of IRL (in real life) texts (i.e., newspaper or scientific journal articles) and their retrospective or concurrent allusions to popular 20th c. science fiction.

Sampling Plan• Emphasis on primary textual and audio-visual materials which will include the actual science fiction literature/film, as well as an examination of popular culture references to said SF.

• Newspapers, other periodicals, published reviews, manuscripts, literary writings, oral evidence, SF convention/club schedules, agendas

• Secondary sources will be needed to fill in gaps between primary sources.

Data Collection Methods• Goal: a logical and chronological organization of 20th popular century SF ideas and subsequent social effects

• Appropriate bibliographic organization is critical to note-taking and filing of data: a repository Web site

• Perhaps some other qualitative research techniques can be used to supplement an academic approach with more tangible experiences: such as informal interviews with SF fans (survey) or attending a SF convention (ethnographic study)

Data Analysis PlansQualitative Research Questions• Historically, what role does the “fantastical” have

in shaping cultural attitudes towards the dissemination of personal computers, broadcast media, and digital databases (all of which, importantly, define modern information access.)

• How do specific science fiction genres, such as those including space travel and expanded spatial limitations of our world, reflect or influence societal hopes towards technology?

• How do specific science fiction genres, such as those including robots/cyborgs, reflect or influence societal anxieties towards technology?

Historical Enterprise1. To convey a sense of time and show chronological

development2. To analyze and explain the interrelationships of the

events studied, to detect underlying patterns, and to unify the various elements in a satisfactory whole