GEOG 2N: Apocalyptic Geographies
As we have learned through Afrofuturisms, disability justice, LGBTQ+ futurisms, Indigenous futurisms, and diasporic futurisms, the idea of apocalypse and futurity are intertwined and stem from preconceived notions of identity, ancestry, and legacy. Futurisms draw from ancestral ideologies around culture, identity, religion, magic, native animals, clothing, symbolism, labor, food, land, farming, etc. For your final project, I am asking you to draw on your own identity and ancestry and reflect on the apocalypses covered in the course in order to create your own kind of futurism.
As you work on this project, consider what futurisms mean to you and what futurisms you most closely identify with. What is your ancestry, your identit(ies), your communit(ies)? For some, figuring this out could entail reaching out to biological family, while for others this could entail reaching out to chosen family. Do some digging into the history, culture, ideologies, etc. of your ancestry, identit(ies), and/or communit(ies). Some examples include your cultural or racial identity, like those discussed in relation to Afrofuturisms, disability justice, and LGBTQ+ futurisms. You can also look into ancestral and diasporic futurisms like those discussed in relation to the Indigenous futurisms story map and the work of Haitian artist Rafaëlle Roy. Other ideas include an exploration of your family’s immigration and settlement in a particular region, their ancestral identities, and the stories and traditions that have been passed down through generations.
Short Story – create a one-page, single-spaced short (fictional) story. You may draw inspiration from short stories we have read in class, such as The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas and The Ones Who Stay and Fight, or the stories and poems of Rafaëlle Roy. However, the context, characters, and ideas shared should be based on your conceptualization of futurisms and futurity. The readers should be able to understand your community and what ideas you are working with for this story. This paper is single-spaced, 1-inch margins on all sides, Times New Roman, 12 pt font. No citations are necessary. Have fun with it.