Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Tokenism vs. Representation in Speculative Fiction

I've heard that, in the wake of the Helix ruckus, a number of F&SF editors are announcing that they want to see more submissions from people of color. That's getting a mixed reception, because it looks like knee-jerk panic in some cases: "Hey, look at me not being a racist!"

Some editors may be doing that for fear of being perceived as racist if they don't. If I were currently editing a magazine, I'd simply use the opportunity to repeat "Zine X welcomes submissions from writers of all ethnic backgrounds." I'd probably also mention two things that I enjoy seeing in stories by/about people of color: 1) stories inspired by the author's ethnic background, and 2) stories with dimensional, engaging characters of color. Frex, Octavia Butler's fiction spanned numerous aspects of African diaspora motifs and issues, and she had some highly memorable characters.

I am keeping an eye out for editors who are taking advantage of the high profile discussion to let people know they're interested in such stories, in a way that sounds deeper than knee-jerk panic. If they're only calling because they don't want to be considered racist, meh, that's nice but it doesn't bump them up my read or submit lists. If they sound like they're interested in stepping outside the heavily overtrodden McFantasy set in pseudo-Europe, that would bump them up. So far I haven't seen any of the latter, but if you-all spot any, I'd love to hear about them.

The flurry among other editors may also illuminate the difference between tokenism and representation: If they're only buying a story because the author is a person of color and they don't want their magazine to seem racist, that's tokenism. It's an improvement over racism, but in a small "cannibals with forks" kind of way. However, if they're buying a story because the author's ethnicity lends richness to the storytelling and creates something intriguingly different than stories told by caucasian authors, that's representation. It makes the magazine a venue for all different kinds of voices, which makes for an interesting read. As in other types of employment, the difference is a matter of depth: tokenism is surface without substance, intended to hold true change at bay; while representation entails structural differences that capitalize on the advantages of diversity.

What are some of your favorite stories/books that draw on diverse ethnic inspiration? What magazines seem to print a stead supply of such stories? Who are some of your favorite ethnic authors?
Tags: fantasy, reading, science fiction, writing
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  • 6 comments
gumnut

gumnut

July 16 2008, 21:36:12 UTC 12 years ago

I am so frelling niave. I thought writing would be judged on its quality and content, not who wrote it.

But then again I usually assume that people will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing.

I can be so stupid.

Nutty
(overestimator)
ysabetwordsmith

ysabetwordsmith

July 16 2008, 21:47:34 UTC 12 years ago

*sigh* An ideal society would be meritocratic. Unfortunately human tendency is to discriminate against disliked people and groups. Some editors have a bias against women, people of color, etc. Some try to counterbalance that by publishing stories by people whose voices might otherwise go unheart. Sometimes that's a good thing; other times it results in publishing a lot of drivel. (I minored in women's studies. Some feminist writing is amazingly bad.) As a reader and an editor, I like diversity. I just don't rank it ahead of quality.