I
moderated this panel on Saturday morning. A terrific panel of authors gave
insight on writing fantasy based outside the traditional Western European
traditions, and a great reading list!
Description:
In American publishing, fantasy has long been based almost
exclusively on European mythologies. But the world is full of non-European
cultures with rich storytelling traditions. Is it cultural appropriation for
Western writers to set stories in non-European cultures? How can we borrow from
these wonderful mythologies in respectful ways?
Panel:
In
American fantasy, the traditions are steeped in Greco-Roman mythology and
European medieval/Renaissance settings. But the world is full of non-European
cultures with rich storytelling traditions. Let's talk about some of the ones
that interest us.
Janine,
marine pilot, has traveled all over the world, is from Brazil
Janine's
daughter is from Mozambique, the main character is very much like her daughter
Janine
used Portuguese terminology
There's a
delicate line of cultural appropriation. Representing with respect - not
taking. You can't take a white person and stick them in Asian or African
culture as if it's their own…
A book
she admires:
Bride to
the Sun, Lia Patterson, Swedish, written in English, lived in China as a
teen, fantasy
Misty -
recently decided to learn all the countries outside of her familiar Europe - so
much beauty and amazing culture in every culture of the planet, don't limit
ourselves to what's inside our own culture - look for someone inside that
culture, or someone who's done their homework - lots of attention to detail
A book
she admires: Daughter of the Sword, Steve Bean, main character is a female
member of Tokyo police dept, fights sexism, doesn't depend on anyone else,
magical swords, very interesting--tells story
of each sword
Val's
father was Navy, brought back books as he traveled all over the world and sent
letters with local stories that he heard - he loved Japanese cult movies and
"chop sake" movies
Surprisingly
good one:
Saolin Grandma -
very good, unexpected, set in post ww2 Japan
A book
she admires:
Weather Child, Philippe Ballantine,
Australia , she's from New Zealand - she reads the audiobook in her lovely
accented voice!
Val's
mother's family are Ashkanazi and Sephardic Jews - different European culture -
Eastern European culture has Mongol and Russian influence
We ignore
Arabic
Christie
doesn't read a lot in the field, better to read from other sources, doesn't
want to lose her own voice
Always
fascinated by myths and legends from other cultures, looks for sources, Joseph
Campbell, hero's journey
Working
on her own series based on elements (fire, water, air, etc)
Wrote
three, now planning to finish the last two, looking geographically for desert
cultures, lots of commonality based on climate, foods, rituals, religion
Weaving
elements of Norse-Finnish, Celtic, Polynesian
Kalayna
is a folklorist, mostly studies traditional Western European, loves to study
around the world, almost all have a bloodsucker, a walking dead, dragon….
A book
she admires:
Skinwalker, Faith Hunter, main character
is Cherokee, very westernized, Faith's done a careful job of incorporating
Cherokee elements that are integral to the story
Christie
says avoid the stereotypes, think about it and be aware
Misty
says do your research, don't rely on movies,
Talks
about AJ Hartley's terrific new novel,
Steeplejack, Victorian South African
setting
Doesn't
want to offend the cultures he's trying to express
Janine,
War of the Seasons series, worried a
little about it being a "bait and switch" - was new to Celtic
mythology, didn't want to include just one thing, didn't want Tolkien elves, had different races with each clan
This race is as diverse as the human race, they're the
primary species on this world
[I think
this was one of the most important points about writing cultures in a non-Earth
setting - there should be at least mention of the variety like we have on
Earth, or some explanation about why not, if not, but that's another
panel…]
Loves fanfic, writing a Hobbit rebelling, cast a woman from India, wants to
represent, not to offend or alienate
Don't be
stopped by your fear that you'll get stuff wrong - you will!
Val - I
try to have a lot of variety in the characters passing through, they don't all
look like me, they're just people, they
are my side characters, but they're the protagonists in their own stories
Misty
talks about our experiences with stories for the
Weird Wild West anthology and our now-open
submissions for
Lawless Lands - You may be writing in
a Western culture, but think about what
other cultures were coming in at that time? Native America, Mexican, Chinese…
The thing
is, to be honest, diversity in traditional fantasy is hard to find - what are
some stories out there that inspired your interest?
Fortunately
there's lots of good new writing out there!
Preparing
for this panel, I looked on Goodreads and was disheartened by the dearth of
non-European-based fantasy in the "classics" until I found this:
Is it
cultural appropriation for Western writers to set stories in non-European
cultures? How can we borrow from these wonderful mythologies in respectful
ways?
Cultural
appropriation is a popular phrase these days, and it has taken on a negative
connotation. The definition is
Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use
of elements of one culture by
members of a different culture.
Let's
talk about when this can be a good thing and when it's a bad thing
Acknowledge
your bias, your cultural lens
Margaret
- I am a white cis het female, I grew up in American southern upper middle
class culture. I've travelled outside the US and studied different cultures
through the lens of anthropology. I know how much I don't know! I'm slowly
realizing how much I take for granted, how much I don't notice from my position
of relative privilege
Kalayna
worries about it - it's a double edged sword
But if we
don't make the effort, it's a very whitewashed world
Hollywood
gives the non-European roles to white people anyway!
As
creators we have a responsibility to add more diversity
Melanie
(audience) says "I am the epitome of wasp", has had opportunity to
work w/Smithsonian Native American museum, has gotten to learn, loves the
phrase "Red heart"
Val -
college friends would send the Filipino friend in their group to order Chinese
food - they gave her the good spicy stuff!
Amy -
Writing a Caribbean story, wanted a revenge story because whites came in and
killed so many, took over - how to write a villain from that culture -
Janine if
you cast them in a certain light, doing them a disservice, people are strong
and weak, good and bad, don't want only character of color to be a villain,
If you
only have one, they have to represent
(even though that's not fair to them--no one person can represent their own
culture)
Paula
(audience) if you never have a main character from another society, at least
have secondary characters--the crowd--more diverse
Val has
an entirely different story - her main character talks about her isolated
people and how hard she had to convince her father to let her go
Janine
says you have to make it clear--Is the villain a villain because his goals are
different from his opponents?
Misty
loves a good revenge story--you do run the risk of your good guy looking like a
bad guy--revenge vs Justice--if he's the last of his people, be cautious, you
don't necessarily want him to turn into the bad guy
Be
careful if you have someone from that culture read your work--they can give you
their own personal feedback, but one person cannot give "permission"
on behalf of a whole culture--still do not assume you haven't made any
mistakes!
They
(husband/wife team) use a lot of Russian mythology
#
And so, with a loving heart, I offer you
Namaste
I’ve heard many translations. Here’s my
favorite:
The light of the universe that shines within me
recognizes
the light of the universe that shines within
you.
#
