Mythologization of the past in postcolonial science fiction

Abstract

In postcolonial discourse, the past is often perceived not only as a historical milestone, but also as a layer of collective memory that can be rethought and “retold”. From this point of view, myth becomes a necessary link, a mediator, connecting the traumatic colonial past and a possible future, since it is myth that allows us to break the linearity of historiography, expand time and space, bringing to the forefront the traditions of storytelling, sacred practices and images. Science fiction, thanks to its metaphorical nature and ability to model worlds of alternative futures, becomes a space where the natural coexistence of new forms of historical and cultural consciousness is possible. The aim of this study is to identify the forms and functions of mythologization of the past in postcolonial science fiction and to determine how the appeal to myth contributes to the reconstruction of cultural memory and the formation of a new postcolonial identity, using the example of the works of Nalo Hopkinson, Vandana Singh, and Henrietta Rose-Innes. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the fact that mythologization in postcolonial fiction is considered not only as an artistic device, but also as an epistemological mechanism through which authors create new models of understanding the past, ways of forming identity and expanding options for cultural dialogue in the future. The study found that postcolonial science fiction provides authors with the opportunity to rethink the past through categories of the future, thanks to a combination of rational and mythological ways of knowing. It is within the framework of the science fiction narrative that the combination of scientific and mythological discourses becomes possible, which allows for a rethinking of cultural notions of time, space, and human identity.

Research materials

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About this article

Publication history

• Received: October 20, 2025.
• Published: November 25, 2025.

Keywords

• постколониальная научная фантастика
• постколониальный дискурс
• Нало Хопкинсон
• Вандана Сингх
• Генриетта Роуз-Иннес
• postcolonial science fiction
• postcolonial discourse
• Nalo Hopkinson
• Vandana Singh
• Henrietta Rose-Innes

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