New Article/Fear and Neo-Orientalism In Cyberpunk

Fear And Neo-Orientalism in Cyberpunk
By Chris

Casting aside, for the moment, such works as Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell, I think we should address the new Orientalism that is so apparent in cyberpunk*, both in film (Blade Runner having seemingly set the archetype) and literature (Neuromancer guilty of the same). It seems that, for authors of speculative science fiction, South-East Asia is a haven of exoticism that can be produced at any point to provide a contrast with our contemporary age.

However, I question why? Is it demonstrative of a fear of the growing economic power and political intent of South-East Asian nations? Or is it merely new Orientalism, fetishising the East as some remote and exotic land much as the aristocracy did in centuries past?

Unless Japan takes over half the world or large amounts of people escape from China before some new genocidal plot from the government begins, the amount of Asian immigrants we see in cyberpunk works is inexplicable. In Europe, countries such as Germany and the Ukraine (if it is not annexed by Russia) would doubtless corner the market in cybernetic and genetic advances. Likewise, fearful North American corporations would produce their own enhancements in reaction to East-Asian competition (Japan, as with Mobile phones, fax machines and computers, would doubtlessly be one of the first countries to encounter mass-demand for emergent technologies). Therefore, to me at least, it seems inconceivable that this Orientalism controls so much of the cyberpunk visual. Yes, it looks good, but it seems unrealistic, and cyberpunk is a decidedly realistic genre.

As a comparison, we might look at Ghost in the Shell as a comparative product of fear. Instead of South-East Asian being a dominant world power, S.A.C.* depicts the 'American Empire' as a major threat to the fledgling post-war state. Running alongside this are fears of Communist China (expressed in an episode in which a Communist Chinese assassin attempts to kill a rich Japanese stock broker) and Russia (the Northern Territories of the GitS universe presumably relate to disputed territory that sparked the Russo-Japanese war of the early 20th Century).

Therefore we can see a fear, not just individually for a dystopian future, but fear and continuing conflict between East and West, Communism and Capitalism. This reading of cyberpunk is not one I find particularly rewarding, but the visuals infer the struggle which seems increasingly likely to become a reality.


*S.A.C- Stand Alone Complex
*Cyberpunk- a science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is derived from cybernetics and punk and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983. It features advanced science, such as information technology and cybernetics, coupled with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.