Oppositional postcolonialism in Québécois science fiction

This essay examines Québécois and Franco-Canadian sf through the lens of postcolonial theory. Drawing specifically on Vijay Mishra and Bob Hodge's concept of "oppositional postcolonialism," it argues that the extrapolated futures, other worlds, and alternate histories of "SFQ," la science-fiction québécoise, reveal the same preoccupations found in the works of writers more commonly referred to as "postcolonial." Using the three defining traits of oppositional postcolonialism as an organizational framework, the article examines the elements of racism, second language, and political struggle in a representative body of texts, including Jean-Pierre April's "Le Vol de la ville" [The Flight/Theft of the City], Sylvie Bérard's Terre des Autres [Land of the Others], Alain Bergeron's "Le Prix" [The Prize], Jean-Louis Trudel's "Report 323: A Quebecois Infiltration Attempt," and Élisabeth Vonarburg's TYRANAËL series.