#3 MONSTERS & GHOSTS: Sci-Fi Figures Queering the “Human” in Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet

This is the third lecture for the 2024 summer session of ENGLISH 3372 for The Ohio State University, taught by PhD Candidate Peyton Del Toro. This lecture breaks down the theoretical reading of the week: Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet by Heather Swanson, Anna Tsing, Nils Bubandt, and Elaine Gan. Monsters and ghosts, according the sections we are reading, are conceptualized in a broader ecological and cultural context rather than in a strictly supernatural or fictional sense.  Monsters can be understood as entities that emerge from ecological disturbances, such as invasive species or environmental catastrophes. They embody the unexpected and often unsettling consequences of human actions on the planet. Ghosts, on the other hand, are symbolic of the lingering presence of past environments, species, and cultures that have been lost or displaced due to human activities. They represent the haunting legacies of environmental destruction and serve as reminders of the interconnectedness of all living beings and the enduring impact of human actions on the planet. Science fiction frequently delves into speculative scenarios where humanity's actions have profound and often unintended consequences on the environment and the broader ecosystem, through the use of ghosts and monsters.  These scholars are, essentially, urging for a queering of knowledge production. In this case, queerness isn't just about rejecting heteropatriarchy; it's about challenging the very framework of oppositional binaries. Science fiction embodies this queer ethos by inviting us to imagine beyond traditional boundaries between reality and imagination.