The World Through Fiction

Raven
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Social Sciences
  • Updated Monthly

The World Through Fiction discusses how movies, novels, and TV shows shape and are shaped by society, working to develop critical thinking skills through political science based analysis of pop culture. The first season covers portrayals of colonization in popular fiction. Twitter: @raven_siegfried Tumblr: @theworldthroughfiction

Episodes

  1. 08/11/2025

    Space: The Final Frontier

    Star Trek is a massive franchise heavily influenced by themes and myths of colonization. This episode gives a brief overview of these themes. Sources: For more on taming of savagery and individualism as frontier values, see The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America by Greg Grandin Turner's Thesis PDF For more on the Indian-hater trope, see Gunfighter Nation by Richard Slotkin Read on Substack instead Follow me on tumblr @theworldthroughfiction

    21 min

  2. 03/30/2025

    Backwoods Horror

    This episode explores the fear of rural people and the still existing periphery in America through three of the more well known backwoods horror movies: Jeepers Creepers, Deliverance, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre If you would like to help some rural folks resist development you can learn more at: Dunnellon, Untold Stories of a Two River City Sources: Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. “Monster Culture (Seven Theses).” University of Minnesota Press. Kristeva, Julia. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Columbia University Press. 1982. Slotkin, Richard. Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America. 1992. The Cannibal Pig People of Pig Hill by American Hysteria

    20 min

  3. 01/20/2025 ·  Bonus

    An Update On Current Events

    Apologies for this episode being rushed! The World Through Fiction deviates from its usual format in this episode as I cover current events and compare them to antifascist literature. Sources: Pulver, Dinah Voyles. n.d. “‘A New Wildfire Paradigm’: Why California Fires Are Growing Larger and More Destructive.” USA TODAY. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/18/why-california-wildfires-are-getting-bigger/77592814007/. “At EPA, Trump’s Second Term Is Already Having Consequences - POLITICO.” n.d. Accessed January 19, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/02/trump-epa-departures-00194903. Martínez, A. 2024. “Trump Wants to ‘Drill, Baby, Drill.’ What Does That Mean for Climate Concerns?” NPR, November 15, 2024, sec. Environment. https://www.npr.org/2024/11/13/nx-s1-5181963/trump-promises-more-drilling-in-the-u-s-to-boost-fossil-fuel-production. Borunda, Alejandra. 2024. “Wildfire Smoke Contributes to Thousands of Deaths Each Year in the U.S.” NPR, April 18, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/18/1245068810/wildfire-smoke-contributes-to-thousands-of-deaths-each-year-in-the-u-s. Inskeep, Steve. 2025. “Steve Bannon Says MAGA Populism Will Win — as Trump Is Surrounded by Billionaires.” NPR, January 19, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/19/nx-s1-5254112/donald-trump-elon-musk-steve-bannon-inauguration-day-2025-billionaires. Caldwell, Noah. 2024. “The Family Politics behind J.D. Vance’s ‘childless Cat Ladies’ Comment.” NPR, July 25, 2024, sec. Politics. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/25/nx-s1-5051873/the-family-politics-behind-j-d-vances-childless-cat-ladies-comment. McCammon, Sarah. 2024. “Trump Tells Christian Voters They ‘won’t Have to Vote Anymore’ If He’s Elected.” NPR, July 27, 2024, sec. Elections. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/27/nx-s1-5054272/trump-christian-wont-vote-anymore-speech. Allyn, Bobby. 2025. “TikTok Is Offline in the U.S. after Supreme Court Upholds Ban.” NPR, January 19, 2025, sec. Business. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5266146/tiktok-offline-supreme-court-ban. Allyn, Bobby. 2025. “TikTok Is Back Online in the U.S., Following Trump’s Promise to Pause the Ban.” NPR, January 19, 2025, sec. Business. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/19/nx-s1-5267568/tiktok-back-online. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/umberto-eco-ur-fascism https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/filippo-tommaso-marinetti/the-futurist-manifesto/

    15 min

  4. 01/13/2025

    The Road Genre

    Welcome back, it's been a while! This episode traces the evolution of the road genre out of the western and explores America's psychological relationship with the automobile, building from where we left off in August. This episode did not go entirely as I planned, as along the way I became much more interested in the relationship between cars and fascism as current events have evolved. Sources: Slotkin, Richard. Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America. 1992. Palmer, Lorrie. "The Road to Lordsburg: Rural Masculinity in Supernatural." In TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural, edited by Stacey Abbot and David Lavery, 77-89. Agnew, John. Hidden Geopolitics: Governance in a Globalized World. 2023. The Futurist Manifesto by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco

    26 min

  5. 08/28/2024

    Supernatural's Colonial Themes

    This episode examines how colonial themes persist in stories set in the present through a case study in Supernatural (2005-2020). Concepts: Monster theses The strenuous life Home intrusion Fears of miscegenation Othering Men who know Indians Female captivity narrative Sources: Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. “Monster Culture (Seven Theses).” University of Minnesota Press. Leow Hui Min Annabeth. "Coloniality and the Chicana Gothic: Traveling Myths in the Pilot." In The Gothic Tradition in Supernatural: Essays on the Television Series, edited by Melissa Edmundson, 91-102. Palmer, Lorrie. "The Road to Lordsburg: Rural Masculinity in Supernatural." In TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural, edited by Stacey Abbot and David Lavery, 77-89. Slotkin, Richard. Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America. 1992.

    20 min

  6. 07/31/2024

    Gender and the Family

    Have you ever wondered where the trope of the home intrusion boogeyman comes from? The origin of the cultural fear of kidnapping? This episode gives an introduction into the basis if these tropes in American media. Warnings: Frank discussion of fictional portrayals of sexual violence Concepts: Common sense Home intruson Female captivity narrative Fears of miscegenation Sources: On the concept of common sense: Agnew, John. Hidden Geopolitics: Governance in a Globalized world. Rowman and Littlefield. 2023. Hixon, Walter L. The Myth of American Diplomacy: National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy. Sheridan Books. 2008. On the female captivity narrative: Slotikin, Richard. Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America. 1992. On gender in Duel in the Sun: Corkin, Stanley. Cowboys as Cold Warriors: The Western and U.S. History. Temple University Press. 2004.

    26 min

  7. 06/26/2024

    Piracy as Resistance

    Pirates are some of the most romanticized villains in pop culture, but what is the true story of their history? This episode attempts to dispel myths and bring to light truths about the origins and functioning of piracy, as well as uncovering the basis of some pop culture portrayals. Concepts: The periphery as space for difference Piracy as resistance to colonization Core and periphery Sources: Kardulias, P. Nick, and Emily Butcher. 2016. “Piracy in a Contested Periphery: Incorporation and the Emergence of the Modern World-System in the Colonial Atlantic Frontier.” Journal of World-Systems Research 22 (2): 542–64. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2016.652. Yangas, Taylor. 2014. “Black Pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy: Men Seeking Escape and Transformation.” Kinkor, Kenneth J. "Black Men under the Black Flag." In Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader, edited by C. R. Pennel, 195-205. Rediker, Marcus. 1993. "When Women Pirates Sailed the Seas." Come talk to me! Twitter: @ravensiegfried Tumblr: @theworldthroughfiction

    12 min

  8. 05/29/2024

    Gay Cowboys

    The cowboy is a symbol of nationalistic masculine identity in America, but what is the true history of these frontier legends, and how has the western genre misrepresented them? This is part one of a two part discussion on the expression of marginalized identities on the frontier. Part two out June 26th. Concepts: Gender and sexuality The usable past Periphery as space for difference Sources: Widdowson, Oryan. n.d. “A Deep Voice: How Newspapers Talk About Harry Allen, 1900 - 1923.” Barbash, Fred. 2021. “‘He Paid a Dear Price for It’: The 19th-Century Ordeal of One of America’s First Transgender Men.” Washington Post, October 25, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/09/08/he-paid-a-dear-price-for-it-the-19th-century-story-of-one-of-americas-first-transgender-men/. “Out West: The Queer Sexuality of the American Cowboy and His Cultural Significance.” n.d. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.brandeis.edu/writing-program/write-now/2021-2022/miller-hana/index.html.

    12 min

  9. 04/24/2024

    Waves of Colonization

    Colonization is an ongoing process that is still happening today. This episode examines how this process unfolds and why those who resist it choose to do so by examining a classic western, a Supernatural episode, and the lore of Lord Huron. Concepts: Waves of colonization Resistance to colonization Ruralmisia Sources: Turner's Thesis PDF: https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Turner%20Thesis%2C%20Frederick%20Jackson%20Turner.pdf The World Ender music video: https://youtu.be/-TGld4a5Mb4?si=LegtDh7MLfv4nEx0 The World Ender comic: https://archive.org/details/lord-huron-strange-trails-7

    18 min

  10. 03/27/2024

    National Identity

    This episode examines how national identity in the United States has been created through colonization by looking at the symbology of the film She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Concepts: National identity Othering The usable past Dog motifs Sources: Hixson, Walter L. The Myth of American Diplomacy: National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy. Sheridan Books. 2008. Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932. The Significance of the Frontier in American History. Grandin, Greg. The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. Metropolitan Books. 2019. Beltran, Cristina. Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Democracy. University of Minnesota Press. 2020.

    17 min

  11. 02/29/2024

    Never-Ending Expansion

    This episode delves into why colonization occurs, looking to the structure of the world economy for answers and applying this lens of analysis to the two classic westerns Red River and My Darling Clementine Concepts: Colonization Core and periphery Never-ending expansion Capitalism The safety valve Race The usable past Sources: For more on the early history of colonization: Tan, Fidellithy. The History of Colonization. Podcast audio. https://open.spotify.com/show/2GgKjR09jep79DkU74xUH9?si=c979cb1f07db46da For more on present-day colonization of Latin America: Bartilow, Horace A. Drug War Pathologies: Embedded Corporatism and U.S. Drug Enforcement in the Americas. University of North Carolina Press. 2019. For more on the safety valve: Grandin, Greg. The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. Metropolitan Books. 2019. For a different analysis of Red River and My Darling Clementine: Corkin, Stanley. Cowboys, Free Markets, Wyatt Earp, and Thomas Dunson. In Cowboys as Cold Warriors: The Western and U.S. History. 19-50. Temple University Press. 2004.

    20 min
  12. Black Sails and the Usable Past

    01/31/2024

    Black Sails and the Usable Past

    The stories we grew up with form a subconscious basis for how we engage with the world. This episode examines two such stories - Pocahontas and Treasure Island - and how they may influence our understanding of the world. Warnings: mild spoilers for Black Sails Concepts: Colonization The usable past Censorship Sources: Hixon, Walter. The Myth of American Diplomacy: National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy. Sheridan Books, 2008. Pocahontas. 1995. Directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg, performance by Mel Gibson et al. Walt Disney Pictures. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. Simon & Schuster, 1883. Black Sails, created by Robert Levine and Jonathan E. Steinberg, 2014-2017.

    14 min
  • 12 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The World Through Fiction discusses how movies, novels, and TV shows shape and are shaped by society, working to develop critical thinking skills through political science based analysis of pop culture. The first season covers portrayals of colonization in popular fiction. Twitter: @raven_siegfried Tumblr: @theworldthroughfiction

Information