Date of Award
8-16-2024
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Languages, Literatures and Cultures
First Advisor
Andrew Rajca
Abstract
This dissertation centers on the following three dystopic works from Spain: the novella “2084. Después de la Revolución” by Elia Barceló, the novel Cenital by Emilio Bueso, and the Netflix series La valla directed by Daniel Écija. I contend that the ecoaldea in each of these works is not merely a setting, but rather is an experimental space from which solutions to current crises (primarily the climate crisis) can be created and tested. The intersectional theoretical framework used to analyze this assertion is based on science fiction, dystopic studies, ecocriticism, and postgrowth imaginaries. Each chapter addresses: (1) how the society collapsed into dystopia, (2) the structure and values of the ecoaldea, and (3) a critique of errors and mistakes of the ecoaldea. I conclude that interactions with the dominant society lead the ecoaldea to decay, but these conflicts do not invalidate the role of the ecoaldea in reimagining society. The solutions proposed by the ecoaldea function as a starting point for a vision of postgrowth life.
Rights
© 2024, Meagan Elizabeth Cobb Heath
Recommended Citation
Heath, M. E.(2024). Ecoaldeas as a Critical Dystopic Landscape. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/7800