Science fiction i polityczna poprawność. Perspektywa polskich dystopii społeczno-politycznych drugiej połowy XX i początku XXI wieku
Science Fiction and Political Correctness: The Perspective of Polish Socio-Political Dystopias of the Second Half of the 20th Century and Early 21st Century

Author(s): Leszek Bedkowski
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: The distinctive feature of Polish science fiction dystopias published at the turnof the 21st century is the presence of visions of the Earth’s society of the near futurein the context of perils that might (or are bound to) bring destruction to the socialorder as we know it.Dystopian novels and stories by Polish writers are particularly critical of globalizationprocesses, including the phenomenon of political correctness as serving theideas of multiculturalism by propelling the rebuilding of vital values, moral normsand behavioral patterns only ostensibly. The depreciation of political correctnessby fiction writers does not solely stem from their tendency toward undermining itsgoals and their mistrust with respect to the intentions motivating the actions of thepropagators of political correctness, but also from fear of social engineering basedon “orders” or “prohibitions” concerning the use of particular words.Counterfactual visions of science fiction centered around political correctness fitinto the most current media discourses, closely connected both to politics and to thecommon experience of the socio-political reality. At the same time, they continue thetradition of reflection over language as the tool of social influence, a tradition presentin the works of science fiction since the onset of the genre.

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