Islam, science fiction and extraterrestrial life : the culture of astrobiology in the Muslim world / Jörg Matthias Determann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Determann, Jörg Matthias, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science fiction--History and criticism.

Science fiction.

Islam and literature.

Science fiction films--Islamic countries--History and criticism.

Science fiction films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (289 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

First edition.

Distribution:

[London, England] : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020

Place of Publication:

London [England] : I.B. Tauris, 2020.

Summary:

"The Muslim world is not commonly associated with science fiction. Religion and repression have often been blamed for a perceived lack of creativity, imagination and future-oriented thought. However, even the most authoritarian Muslim-majority countries have produced highly imaginative accounts on one of the frontiers of knowledge: astrobiology, or the study of life in the universe. This book argues that the Islamic tradition has been generally supportive of conceptions of extra-terrestrial life, and in this engaging account, Jörg Matthias Determann provides a survey of Arabic, Bengali, Malay, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu texts and films, to show how scientists and artists in and from Muslim-majority countries have been at the forefront of the exciting search. Determann takes us to little-known dimensions of Muslim culture and religion, such as wildly popular adaptations of Star Wars and mysterious movements centred on UFOs. Repression is shown to have helped science fiction more than hurt it, with censorship encouraging authors to disguise criticism of contemporary politics by setting plots in future times and on distant planets. The book will be insightful for anyone looking to explore the science, culture and politics of the Muslim world and asks what the discovery of extra-terrestrial life would mean for one of the greatest faiths."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Lord of the Worlds

Islam and science fiction

Islamic world building

Scientific imagination

Chapters in Muslim world building

2 Missions and Mars

First contacts

God knows best

Plants on planets

3 Trips to the Moon

Pharaohs and fairies

Turksploitation

Cinematic circulations

4 Islamic UFO Religions

Black uplifts

Muslim ufology

Flying saucers as jinn

5 Building Nations and Worlds

National space

Galactic Mamluks

Eliza in wonderland

6 Muslim Futurisms

Iranian aliens

Science under sanctions

All tomorrows

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on September 28, 2020).

ISBN:

9780755601301

0755601300

9780755601288

0755601289

9780755601295

0755601297

OCLC:

1220979917