Race, Class, and Urban Planning

 FOGcon 2011  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“Race, Class, and Urban Planning”

How does centralized planning divide our cities along lines of race and class? Subsidized housing, elevated freeways, new condos, zoning regulations: who decides where these are placed, and for what purposes? From Tyrion Lannister scouring King’s Landing during war to Ariane Emory programming the populations of Cyteen and Gehenna, these issues affect our fictional worlds too. Let’s talk about how power and urban planning interact.

M: Steven Schwartz, Ian K. Hagemann, Katharine Kerr, Vylar Kaftan

Segregation in SFnal Cities

 FOGcon 2011  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“Segregation in SFnal Cities”

In late 2010, Eric Fisher used Census data to map out the top 40 cities in the United States by race. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624812674967/detail/) The one commonality of every map was that segregation existed, often in stark and predictable patterns — one race dominating this side of a busy avenue, a different race dominating that side. Or poor neighborhoods being dominated exclusively by people of color, while wealthy ‘hoods are white. How often do we see this pattern realistically depicted in SFnal cities? Do most cities in speculative fiction simply ignore race and class, or do they more often depict an idealistic — if unrealistic — even mix? Do we *want* to see realistic segregation in our fantastic cites, or is it too troubling to be reminded of our world’s problems when we’d rather just “escape”?

M: Mary Anne Mohanraj, Eric Fischer, Jaym Gates, Marie Brennan

Class in SF: Who Gets It Right?

 WisCon 35 (2011)  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“Class in SF: Who Gets It Right?”
[track: Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | room: Capitol A | Saturday 4-5:15pm]

In fiction, lower and working class individuals and groups are often depicted in broadly drawn stereotypes. Where are the stories that depict the working class and the poor accurately and with dignity? Where are the stories that challenge class and classism, or present workable solutions to the problems of class difference? Let’s spend our time not thinking about how often class goes wrong in fiction, but focusing on where it’s gone right. Afterward, we’ll post the list online to spread the wealth.

M: Liz Henry. Eleanor A. Arnason, Rachael Lininger, Geoff Ryman, Jef a. Smith

Class Issues in Science Fiction and Fantasy

 WisCon 35 (2011)  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“Class Issues in Science Fiction and Fantasy”
[track: Power, Privilege, and Oppression | room: Wisconsin | Saturday 10-11:15am]

It’s not been easy for the SF community to come to terms with class. In a society where the working poor and the unemployed are growing in number, and the middle class is being destroyed, it’s vital that we discuss class. Let’s build on our discussions of class at WisCon 34, which included a powerful Class Basics panel, to discuss class and class warfare in SF as well as the real world.

M: Eleanor A. Arnason. Jess Adams, Alexis Lothian, Beth Plutchak, Fred Schepartz

Does the Middle Class Exist, or Is It a Figment of Our Imagination?

 WisCon 34 (2010)  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“Does the Middle Class Exist, or Is It a Figment of Our Imagination?”
[track: Power, Privilege, & Oppression | room: Caucus | Sunday 10-11:15pm]

Created when Capitalism supplanted feudalism, the middle class is a relatively new development, and in some ways is an artificial construct. But what does it really mean to be middle class? Perhaps it’s a state of being or a certain level of prosperity, but given the fluidity of its nature, does the middle class even exist, or is it really a glorified strata of the working class? Can SF/F imagine a world that has a real and strong middle class?

M: Fred Schepartz. Chris Hill, Beth A. Plutchak, Talks-with-wind

Class Basics

 WisCon 34 (2010)  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“Class Basics”
[track: Power, Privilege, & Oppression | room: Assembly | Friday 9-10:15pm]

Of all the “isms” and oppressions in the United States, class is one of the least explored and least understood, and yet having an understanding of how class issues affect people here and around the world is vital. As with race, ability, and other issues, it is not the job of people who grew up dealing with class barriers to educate the rest of us, but sometimes we find folks who are generous enough to give their time to teaching. If you feel like you don’t know enough about class, classism, and how class background and class privilege inform the world around you, come join us. Serious information, given with patience and humor.

M: Debbie Notkin. Nisi Shawl, Jennifer K. Stevenson, Chris Wrdnrd

We Do the Work

 WisCon 33 (2009)  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

“We Do the Work”
[track: The Craft & Business of Writing | room: Conference 4 | Friday 4-5:15pm]

SF writers are supposed to be good at building compelling and believable worlds. So why is it so hard to build a world featuring working class characters in working class settings, especially given that a lot of SF writers come from that kind of background? What has worked, for you? What hasn’t? Who clearly hasn’t tried? Who has tried, but failed spectacularly? SF fans have done a good job of demanding better–written women and minorities in SF; what about their working class counterparts?

M: Fred Schepartz, Eleanor A. Arnason, Chris Hill, Michael J. Lowrey, Diana Sherman

Marxism and Beyond: Assembling a Class Discussion Toolkit [liveblogging by littlebutfierce]

 WisCon 33 (2009)  No Responses »
Nov 162011
 

panel:  “Marxism and Beyond: Assembling a Class Discussion Toolkit”
[track: Power, Privilege, and Oppression | room: Assembly | Sunday 1-2:15pm]

Talking about class at WisCon is hard. Where should we start? What can we say? Sometimes this discussion goes horribly wrong – how can we avoid that?
M: Chris Wrdnrd, Jane Acheson, Jess Adams, Chris Hill, BC Holmes

liveblogging by:  littlebutfierce
originally posted:  2009/5/24

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