Aliens: A Companion - Paperback

by Elana Gomel (Editor), Simon Bacon (Editor)

This book is the first of its kind to explore the role of aliens in popular culture from a global and multidisciplinary perspective. Space aliens are everywhere: from cinematic franchises, such as Star Wars, to bestselling novels; from religious cults to conspiracy theories; from UFO subcultures to SETI deep-space explorations. But until now, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of the role and significance of alien representations in popular culture across the globe. This book fills this gap. It discusses images of extraterrestrial intelligence in science fiction literature, cinema and video games. It addresses issues such aliens and media, the relationship between aliens and posthumanity, aliens and gender, and aliens in/as religion. Ranging from The War of the Worlds to Star Trek, and from India to Latin America, Africa to China, this collection offers a fresh look at the intriguing cultural phenomenon of our growing fascination with extraterrestrial life.