By Paramita Ayuningtyas & Abdul Aziz Turhan Kariko

In the 20th century, science fiction was considered cheap literature and not included in the high literary canon. However, this genre is highly acclaimed in the 21st century for its capacity to discuss the 21st century society and its specific issues. Not only in Western countries, but science fiction is also currently on the rise in Asia, especially after Liu Cixin won the prestigious Hugo Award in 2016. To investigate further about this current literary phenomenon in Asia, this research discusses science fiction short stories from two countries in Southeast Asia, namely Indonesia and Singapore. The data of this research are taken from four short stories (two from Indonesia and two from Singapore). The short stories are qualitatively analyzed using representation theory from Stuart Hall and other theories related to elements of science fiction. The result of the analysis shows how with its specific characteristics, science fiction is a powerful and effective genre to portray the dynamics of the two countries, Indonesia and Singapore.

For the full article, please visit: https://www.scitepress.org/Papers/2018/100231/100231.pdf