Project Approval, Research Paper Example

The aspect of society to be examined from a sociological perspective is cinema. Contemporary films that belong to the genre of science fiction are to be analyzed, in order to identify some of the social normativities that are portrayed in their narratives. The value of this genre is that it provides an insight into where current social norms may lead, and furthermore, what kind of social norms shall constitute society. In this regard, relations between characters shall be granted the utmost importance, with particular emphasis on the portrayal of class. Questions of relevance are as follows: how do science fiction films portray class? Do they maintain the relevance of economic stratification or does their view of the future see a resolution of class conflict? What do these approaches say about how artists and current society views the future of class and society as a whole? How does ideology function in science fiction?

The paper shall take a broadly contemporary Marxist sociological perspective on science fiction films. Accordingly, the presence of class antagonism within science fiction films will be analyzed and tested against some of the theories of Marxism. Furthermore, relations of society to the means of production and, in a broader sense, nature and the environment will be considered. How does technology function from a sociological perspective within film? Moreover, how is the relationship of humans and the environment portrayed? This can be approached through a Marxist methodology that tests the rigour of this methodology, while also providing an account of future potential future societies from a Marxist perspective. Films to be analyzed are James Cameron’s Avatar (2009), Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010) and the Hughes Brothers’ The Book of Eli (2010), as they are all representative of recent science fiction films that incorporate clear sociological motifs. Theorists from the academic literature with a tangible Marxist-influenced perspective to be used in the analysis include Slavoj Zizek (2011), Samuel R. Delaney (2009), Marc Bould and China Mieville (2009), and Annette Kuhn (1990).

Works Cited

Bould, Mark and Mieville, China. Red Planets: Marxism and Science Fiction. Middletown, CT:: Wesleyan University Press, 2009.

Delaney, Samuel R. The Jewel-Hinged Jaw: Notes on the Language of Science Fiction. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2009.

Kuhn, Annette. Alien Zone: Cultural Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema. London: Verso, 1990.

Zizek, Slavoj. Living in the End Times. London: Verso, 2011.