Science Fictionality (completed)

• Tveit, Marta (2026). Undringslitteratur: Understanding New Norwegian Speculative Fictions. Fafnir. 12(2), p. 43–67. doi: https:/fafnir.journal.fi/article/view/179209. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A distinctive type of non-realist literature is emerging in Norway, one that necessitates the articulation of a new classificatory term. I propose the label undringslitteratur, situating this intervention within the broader debate in science fiction studies on the productivity and limitations of “fuzzy” labels as devices for designating hybrid forms of imaginative writing thattraverse and unsettle the boundaries between realist and speculative modes. Contemporary Norwegian speculative fictions –here conceptualized together as undringslitteratur–may be delineated through the convergence of four interrelated elements. First, undringslitteraturis characterized by a poetics of scale, oscillating between the local and the global, and by an underlying “Anthropocene unconscious” as theorized by Mark Bould, as a structuring undercurrent of contemporary cultural production. Second, these fictions pursue the re-enchantment of the everyday by subverting conventional expectations regarding the relationship between the quotidian and the spectacular. Third, undringslitteraturis distinguished by a pronounced regional inflection, articulating “nordicity” both in imagery and in portrayals of “northernness” as a discursive system. Finally, these texts exhibit a vein of “stealthy” spiritual seeking. Crucially, however, what sets undringslitteraturapart is not the explicit representation of religious practices, spirituality, or belief, but rather the subtle, situated manner in which such themes are approached and articulated. I conclude by arguing that the synthesis of these elements is aptly encapsulated by the term undring. Connoting wonder, contemplation, and pausing before the inexplicable, undringdesignates not merely a thematic preoccupation but a structuring affect that animates contemporary Norwegian speculative fictions.

• Þórsson, Bergsveinn; Tabur, Merve & Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2025). This thing we call the future: The material consequences of the imagination. In Bjærke, Marit Ruge; Brenna, Brita; Ekström, Anders & Ødemark, John (Ed.), Cultural History and the Anthropocene: Old turns, new encounters. Bloomsbury Academic. ISSN 9781350532632. p. 235–250. doi: 10.5040/9781350532632.ch-014. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This chapter presents an analytical framework for studying and enacting Anthropocene imaginaries. The future is, and continually becomes, a thing – both semiotically and materially. In the context of contemporary discussions on the Anthropocene, future thinking and imaginaries have emerged as essential tools for rethinking the sites, objects, terms and methods of cultural history. Recognizing the future as a dynamic and contested thing, the chapter emphasizes the importance of embracing the plurality of Anthropocenes to account for diverse cultural, geographical and historical perspectives, tracing the processes through which Anthropocene futures are materialized as technoscientific objects, popular cultural objects, and as curated historical objects, while remaining attentive to reductivist tendencies such as Eurocentric biases or singular temporal and spatial scales. The analytical framework we devise in this chapter can serve as a tool for both recognizing and deconstructing the future objects circulating in the cultural sites of futures thinking.

• Tveit, Marta (2025). “What Is Left Behind”: Extractivism in Blå by M. Lunde and “The Satellite Charmer” by M.B. Diene. In Korpua, Jyrki; Koistinen, Aino-Kaisa; Roine, Hanna-Riikka & Tveit, Marta (Ed.), Nordic Speculative Fiction - Research, Theory, and Practise. Routledge. ISSN 9781032910475. p. 186–205. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva & Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2024). The Beyond Barcode Experiment: Exhibitions, SciFi Scenarios, and Policy. Forskningspolitikk. ISSN 0333-0273. p. 8–11. Full text in Research Archive
• Tveit, Marta (2024). Meshwork Ecology: Climate and Colonialism in Diene's Hell Freezes Over and Ruga's Public Service Announcement. Science Fiction Studies. ISSN 0091-7729. 51(3), p. 435–455. Full text in Research Archive
• Tveit, Marta (2024). Safe in each other’s scaly arms”: Solace, Oddkinship, and the Third Position in African Speculative Texts, Animals in Science Fiction. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783031416941. p. 39–58. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-41695-8_3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In African speculative fiction, there can be found examples of texts that touch on (neo)colonial displacement, uprootedness, and alienation. Through evoking the familiar Other—the nonhuman animal, the hybrid, or even the monster—these texts both portray an (ongoing) shared trauma and express a quiet refusal of narratives of separation and hierarchy. Here I examine how this “uneasy” kinship is critically embraced and operates in the short story “When the Levees Break” by Edwin Okolo (2022). Second, I explore David Uzochukwu’s “black merfolk” in the photography series Mare Monstrum/Drown in My Magic (2016–ongoing), to illustrate how what I am calling the third position is assumed. The third position can be described as a deliberate, resilient, and persistent process of place-making, creating a home for the displaced with the nonhuman, the human, and the Land itself. Born out of exclusion and dehumanization, the third position then takes on a life of its own, creating a specific, historicized way of coming to what Joan Gordon calls the amborg gaze. Finally, I discuss how both these texts keep the promise of the animal, insisting on expansion, utopian spark, and creating zones of possibilities.

• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2023). Utopianism After Utopia. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. ISSN 0897-0521. 33(3), p. 152–176. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2022). Fictioning the Futures of Climate Change. Fafnir. 9(1), p. 7–12. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2022). Beasts and Burdens: Some Thoughts on the Conditionally Human. In Ween, Gro Birgit & Lundblad, Michael (Ed.), Control: Attempting to Tame the World. Pax Forlag. ISSN 9788253043609. p. 279–285. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2021). Fiktionaliseringen av framtider. 20tal. ISSN 2000-5350. p. 26–31. Full text in Research Archive

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• Korpua, Jyrki; Koistinen, Aino-Kaisa; Roine, Hanna-Riikka & Tveit, Marta (2025). Nordic Speculative Fiction - Research, Theory, and Practise. Routledge. ISBN 9781032910475. 317 p. doi: 10.4324/9781003561101. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2024). The Inhumans and Other Stories. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262547611. 188 p. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The first English translation of a cult science fiction favorite by Hemendra Kumar Roy, one of the giants of early Bangla literature, and other sf stories from the colonial period in India. Edited, introduced, and annotated by Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay. Kalpavigyan—science fiction written to excite Bengali speakers about science, as well as to persuade them to evolve beyond the limitations of religion, caste, and class—became popular in the early years of the twentieth century. Translated into English for the first time, in this collection you'll discover The Inhumans (1935), Hemendrakumar Roy's satirical novella about a lost race of Bengali supermen in Uganda. Also included are Jagadananda Ray's “Voyage to Venus” (1895), Nanigopal Majumdar's “The Mystery of the Giant” (1931), and Manoranjan Bhattacharya's “The Martian Purana” (1931).

• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2022). Kalicalypse: Subcontinental Science Fiction. Future Fiction. ISBN 9788832077513. 335 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Tveit, Marta (2025). Etterord: Purgatorius, stjernekikking og våre vidunderlige begrensninger. Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift (NNT). ISSN 0800-336X. 42(1), p. 51–57. doi: 10.18261/nnt.42.1.5. Full text in Research Archive
• Gadmar, Tone Charlotte (2024). Rollespill workshop: "New Atlantis - A discussion based eco-role play: Four proud nations, one continent and a threatened common future ...". Full text in Research Archive
• Gadmar, Tone Charlotte; Konestabo, Heidi Sjursen & Pozer, Edina (2024). Problem solvers of tomorrow: Science fiction as a tool for reflection and education in sustainability. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Anticipatory competence is one of UNESCOS key competencies in the education for sustainable development. It can be defined as the ability to understand and evaluate multiple different possible futures and make reflected choices between the possible, the probable and the preferred outcomes. The science fiction genre spans thematically through the entire scope of the sciences, and being the literary laboratory of ‘What if …?’ it creates a unique creative context for exploring and teaching science, sustainability and futurism. We will through examples discuss how elements of science fiction can be incorporated in teaching in science, sustainability and problem thinking. We show how we have created an inspirational platform for learning and creativity for students who in their own discipline are going to be the problem solvers of tomorrow.

• Konestabo, Heidi Sjursen & Gadmar, Tone Charlotte (2023). From Science Fiction to Science Fact. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  From Science Fiction to Science Fact : A workshop on how to use elements from science fiction to build creative teaching elements and scenarios to educate students on sustainability.

• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2023). Indian Genre Fiction: Possible Futures. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2023). Conditioning Possibility: Keynote Lecture. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2023). CoFutures and Alternative Futures. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2023). Sustainability and science fiction. Full text in Research Archive
• Gadmar, Tone Charlotte & Konestabo, Heidi Sjursen (2022). Science fiction til science fakta - Science fiction som refleksjonsverktøy i undervisning. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Antisipatorisk kompetanse er en av UNESCOS bærekraftskompetanser, som handler om å se for seg mulige alternativer for fremtidig utvikling. Bøker og filmer i sjangeren science fiction gir oss muligheten til å sette vitenskap inn i en slik kontekst. Vi diskuterer eksempler på hvordan science fiction kan brukes til inspirasjon og læring, og gir tips til litteratur som passer til nettopp din undervisning.

• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2022). Fremtidstenkning. 39(2), p. 269–274. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2022). The Films of George Haggerty, Parts 1 and 2 (1975-1994). Imaginary Papers from the Center for Science and the Imagination, ASU. 9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Article on the science fictional elements in the documentary films of George Haggerty

• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2021). Framing Sustainability: How can museums navigate the complexities of sustainable development? Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2021). Museums assembling Anthropocene(s). Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2021). Speculative Futures of Love. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2021). Assembling Anthropocenes. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2021). Curating Climate: Designing a polycentric approach to the climate crisis for museums. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  How can museums navigate the incredibly complex phenomenon that the climate crisis is? Is it fair to expect museums to become experts in climate science, the multifarious impacts and implications of climate change and be leading figures in sustainable development? At the same time as they have their hands full with core responsibilities. While the task might seem insurmountable, museums have potentials to contribute in diverse ways. Adopting a polycentric approach to the crisis enables us to reexamine the idea that solutions to a global challenge needs to be global in scale. Rather we could assemble multiple actions and raise awareness on different scales, from the global, national to the local level. In this presentation I will argue that museums can play an important role in a polycentric approach of coping with climate change. I will introduce 5 interconnected pathways that draw from museums’ capacities and are intended to build up competences to become relevant actors in climate action. The pathways are Conceptualisations of Climate Change, Strategy and Futuring, Networking and Collaboration, Climate related Heritage, and Responsibility. The presented work is situated in the growing field of climate related museum studies, and is based on collaborations, conversations and research in Iceland and Norway.

• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2021). “Jagadish Chandra Bose and the anticolonial politics of science fiction.” Podcast by Christin Höne. Journal of Commonwealth Literature Podcast Series. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2021). Writing Weird Fiction.” TV Panel Discussion. Coffee Table with Mina Malik-Hussain. Indus News. [TV]. TV. Full text in Research Archive
• Tveit, Marta (2021). Ytringsfrihet og akademisk frihet: Debatt om rasisme og sexisme. Full text in Research Archive
• Tveit, Marta (2021). Ordstyrer panel om ny norsk science fiction og deltager panel om klimafiksjon. Full text in Research Archive
• Tveit, Marta (2021). Gravøl for Olje-eventyret. Klassekampen. ISSN 0805-3839. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Fremtidsfiksjon om slutten på norsk oljetid

• Tveit, Marta (2021). Makeshift Modernity: The rise of African Speculative Fiction. Africa Is A Country (Blog). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The rise of African Speculative Fiction and other exciting cultural production indicates that modernity is not an exercise in “catching up” with Europe, but an entirely new condition.

• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva; Thorsson, Bergsveinn; Wang, Regina Kanyu & Larose, Tricia Lynn Lois (2021). Speculative Space Futures. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva; Thorsson, Bergsveinn; Brock, Patrick; Wang, Kanyu & Tveit, Marta (2021). Imagination Workshop. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva & Tveit, Marta (2021). Africanfuturism with Dilman Dila. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2020). More than a Review: On the role of museology in climate change communication and environmental humanities. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2020). Fatbergs as museum objects. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2020). Museums in the Anthropocene. Full text in Research Archive
• Chattopadhyay, Bodhisattva (2020). Afrofuturism. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorsson, Bergsveinn (2020). Curating Climate - Museums as contact zones of climate research, education and activism. Nordisk Museologi. ISSN 1103-8152. 30(3), p. 4–13. doi: 10.5617/nm.8625. Full text in Research Archive
• Tveit, Marta (2025). Resonances in engagement with climate change in contemporary Anglo-African and Norwegian speculative fictions. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  It has become imperative to further understand the complex interplay between situatedness, culture and planetary challenges. Stories and storytelling practices are fertile grounds when it comes to exploring such connections. The research presented here taps into these rich sources. Through an ecocritical lens, it examines contemporary speculative fictions, asking: What are some resonances in how climate change is engaged with through contemporary speculative fictions emerging from diverging production contexts? In order to provide an answer to this question, I have examined a sample of speculative fictions emerging from Norwegian and Anglo-African production contexts, together. The Norwegian literary production context diverges in many ways from Anglo-African contexts, and there are major differences between various Anglo-African contexts. This may act as an asset in this case, strengthening the claim that resonances exist despite divergences in other aspects. Planetary challenges, such as climate change, are arguably being gazed upon through diverse cultural prisms— people are looking at the same overhanging threats but do not necessarily see the same things. Yet, there exists patterns and resonances in how these challenges are being conceptualized, (re)thought, and (re)imagined, that remain unrestricted by borders. Recognizing and investigating such resonance is key to uncovering (untapped) solidaric potentialities. Wide-spanning solidaric potentialities of this kind are necessary in continuing to build the argument for radical systemic change on a planetary scale. This thesis is situated within the disciplines of literary or cultural studies, most at home within the fields of comparative literature, science fiction/speculative fiction studies, and within the ecocritical tradition. It is an article-based thesis, consisting of an introductory chapter/Kappe and four articles that together provide one possible answer to the overarching research question. The methodology employed is one of contextualized close reading; an investigation was conducted into the production contexts in which the relevant texts were produced preceding the carrying out of close readings (through a series of interviews, (digital) field surveys, and building up a larger database of relevant texts). The eight texts finally selected have climate change as a central element. There are myriads of avenues to explore when it comes to the element of climate change in text. Here, as will become clear, the focus has been on the underlying values that have created current environmental and ecological crises, and their connected histories of violence, the combined and uneven element of climate change, and on explorations of strains of ecological thought that refuse modernity/coloniality (Quijano 1992). This focus within the overarching element of climate change is shown through the foci of the four articles, where I draw upon both post-colonial and decolonial theory. The first article discusses how the novel Blå by Maja Lunde (2017) and the short-story “The Satellite Charmer” by Mame Bougouma Diene (2020) portray, deconstruct, and problematize extractivism. The second article argues how, in contemporary Norwegian speculative fiction, the underlying “Anthropocene unconscious” (Bould 2021) manifests in the conveyance of solastalgia and (petro-)complicity. I illustrate this with reference to a number of texts, but in particular the novel Fugl by Sigbjørn Skåden (2019) and the feature film Den Siste Våren (2022) created by Franciska Eliassen. The third article discusses what I conceptualize as meshwork ecology (a term adapted from Morton 2007), where the relationality and interdependency of all earthbound things are emphasized, as is the multiplicity of human and nonhuman ontologies and epistemologies existing on the planet. Here I engage with literature from the posthumanist and materialist turn within the (environmental) humanities, and discuss the novella “Hell Freezes Over” (2015) by Mame Bougouma Diene together with the short film artwork Public Service Announcement (2014) by Athi-Patra Ruga. The final article looks at the novels Vår Verden er Dugg by Tor Åge Bringsværd (2014), and Triangulum (2019) by Masande Ntshanga. It orbits around portrayals and functions of grand narratives (Lyotard 1984), divergent temporalities, and the Anthropocene as a concept. The threads of the articles are gathered in a discussion and conclusion. With reference to the articles, I there outline seven key resonances between the selected texts in how they engage with climate change, orbiting around: critiquing the status quo; troubling both overarching climate-change discourses and the concept of the Anthropocene; a preoccupation with dynamics of scale; the exploration of non-dominant ontologies; and portrayals of liminality, uncertainty, and unknowability, especially in massive transitions and pervasive change. Overall, this thesis may serve as a further demonstration of how speculative practices are powerful tools in coming to terms with, understanding, rethinking, and gaining new perspectives on the planetary challenges of our time.

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