The Speculative Route

‘The Speculative Route is a wide-ranging exploration of science fiction from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. It connects the marvelous literatures of countries like India, Iran and Egypt, while reaching deep into imagined pasts and possible futures. Merve Tabur and Sami Ahmad Khan will take you on a fantastic voyage across time and space, opening up exciting new worlds along the way.’
—Jörg Matthias Determann,Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and author of Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life
‘The Middle East and South Asia have been talking to each other since antiquity, a conversation expressed through trade, conflict, exchanges of knowledge and culture, and perhaps most importantly, stories that express dreams of desired worlds. That conversation has been interrupted – but not shut down – by colonialism. Now, this volume creates a space for these two regions to resume the conversation in the realm of the utopic imagination, examining both similarity and difference across linguistic, nationalist and oppressed-oppressor boundaries, and opening the door to further cross-pollination. The speculative imagination of the Middle East and South Asia, as revealed through scholarly works and insightful think-pieces by writers from these regions, is polyphonic, kaleidoscopic and alive. An invaluable contribution to the literature on collective dreaming for a desired world.’
—Vandana Singh,speculative fiction writer and physicist.
‘This anthology of essays, carefully edited by Merve Tabur and Sami Ahmad Khan, not only addresses spec-fic from much of Asia and Africa, it also spans a remarkable range of imaginative perspectives. It is a much-needed effort that will surely be of interest and benefit for both academics as well as thoughtful writers.’
—Anil Menon,author of The Coincidence Plot