Difference between revisions of "“Master harmonizers”: Making Connections in the Post-Disaster World of Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti Novella Series"

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Harmonization is first introduced [...] as a hereditary trade and gift in Binti’s family allowing them to produce intricate devices, astrolabes that resemble modern-day phones. [...] The association of Western culture with science and technology development is no longer valid for Okorafor’s future; the Himba in the series [Binti's people] are not conflicted by creating computational devices receiving universal acclaim and following traditional patterns [...]. The erasure of the perceived interdependence of technological progress and Westernization conveyed through the relations between the Himba and technology in the series also aims to eliminate the association of technological progress and the destructive consequences of technological intervention driven by the consumerist approach to the colonized territories and ethnicities in Africa, associated with Western colonization practices.
 
Harmonization is first introduced [...] as a hereditary trade and gift in Binti’s family allowing them to produce intricate devices, astrolabes that resemble modern-day phones. [...] The association of Western culture with science and technology development is no longer valid for Okorafor’s future; the Himba in the series [Binti's people] are not conflicted by creating computational devices receiving universal acclaim and following traditional patterns [...]. The erasure of the perceived interdependence of technological progress and Westernization conveyed through the relations between the Himba and technology in the series also aims to eliminate the association of technological progress and the destructive consequences of technological intervention driven by the consumerist approach to the colonized territories and ethnicities in Africa, associated with Western colonization practices.
  
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Locating technological expertise in the Indigenous African environment, Okorafor conveys a different vision of technology – it originates in negotiation and cooperation with natural forces that are a part of the environment, its logical continuation, not a detrimental factor [...]. The manufacturing process is a process of making contact and connection, based on the recognition of non-human agency; it entails “communicat[ing] with the spirit flow and convinc[ing] them to become one current” (Okorafor ''Binti'' 16), rejecting the idea of mastering the nature and imposing a purpose on inert matter. Technology, created and used by the Himba in general and Binti in particular, becomes a “full partner,” not only mediating the relations of the human with the world, but also revealing its own agential power (Haraway Species 249). Technology, both an agent and a product of negotiating with natural forces, is rendered inseparable from the natural world, which dissolves the dichotomy of the natural and the artificial. This vision of technology rejects a division of interconnected phenomena into separate ontological categories with clear boundaries and embraces the interdependence of agents, processes, and the environment. This vision is crucial for the post-climate change world where the methods of interaction between the human and the environment must be revised and reformulated to avoid further destruction and to sustain the fragile balance. The Binti novella series presents a vividly optimistic image of technology, but this technology is unhinged from the habitual associations with progress, Westernization, and globalization; it emerges from the deep connection with the environment and relies on the expertise of Indigenous people to respectfully communicate with the environment rather than assume control over it.[https://sfrareview.org/2021/07/20/master-harmonizers-making-connections-in-the-post-disaster-world-of-nnedi-okorafors-binti-novella-series/]  
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Locating technological expertise in the Indigenous African environment, Okorafor conveys a different vision of technology – it originates in negotiation and cooperation with natural forces that are a part of the environment [...]. [M]anufacturing process is a process of making contact and connection, based on the recognition of non-human agency [...] (Okorafor ''Binti'' 16), rejecting the idea of mastering the nature and imposing a purpose on inert matter. Technology, created and used by the Himba in general and Binti in particular, becomes a “full partner” [...]. Technology, both an agent and a product of negotiating with natural forces, is rendered inseparable from the natural world, which dissolves the dichotomy of the natural and the artificial. [...] The Binti novella series presents a vividly optimistic image of technology, but this technology is unhinged from the habitual associations with progress, Westernization, and globalization; it emerges from the deep connection with the environment and relies on the expertise of Indigenous people to respectfully communicate with the environment rather than assume control over it.[https://sfrareview.org/2021/07/20/master-harmonizers-making-connections-in-the-post-disaster-world-of-nnedi-okorafors-binti-novella-series/]  
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Cf. and to some extent contrast views of and uses of technology in Ursula K. Le Guin's ''[[Always Coming Home]]''.
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Revision as of 23:42, 23 November 2021

Ibragimova, Iuliia. “'Master harmonizers': Making Connections in the Post-Disaster World of Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti Novella Series." Selected ICFA 2021 Papers, SFRA Review 51.3 (Summer 2021).[1]

Binti Novella Series, as of November 2021: Binti — Part 1; Home — Part 2; The Night Masquerade - Part 3, with "Binti: Sacred Fire," a short story.[2] Publisher: Tor.com. See Internet Speculative Fiction Database for complex (and impressive) details of publication, translation, reprints, and awards.[3][4]

Relevant here for the handling of technology as the series develops. In Ibragimova's words and analysis:

Harmonization is first introduced [...] as a hereditary trade and gift in Binti’s family allowing them to produce intricate devices, astrolabes that resemble modern-day phones. [...] The association of Western culture with science and technology development is no longer valid for Okorafor’s future; the Himba in the series [Binti's people] are not conflicted by creating computational devices receiving universal acclaim and following traditional patterns [...]. The erasure of the perceived interdependence of technological progress and Westernization conveyed through the relations between the Himba and technology in the series also aims to eliminate the association of technological progress and the destructive consequences of technological intervention driven by the consumerist approach to the colonized territories and ethnicities in Africa, associated with Western colonization practices.

Locating technological expertise in the Indigenous African environment, Okorafor conveys a different vision of technology – it originates in negotiation and cooperation with natural forces that are a part of the environment [...]. [M]anufacturing process is a process of making contact and connection, based on the recognition of non-human agency [...] (Okorafor Binti 16), rejecting the idea of mastering the nature and imposing a purpose on inert matter. Technology, created and used by the Himba in general and Binti in particular, becomes a “full partner” [...]. Technology, both an agent and a product of negotiating with natural forces, is rendered inseparable from the natural world, which dissolves the dichotomy of the natural and the artificial. [...] The Binti novella series presents a vividly optimistic image of technology, but this technology is unhinged from the habitual associations with progress, Westernization, and globalization; it emerges from the deep connection with the environment and relies on the expertise of Indigenous people to respectfully communicate with the environment rather than assume control over it.[5]

Cf. and to some extent contrast views of and uses of technology in Ursula K. Le Guin's Always Coming Home.


RDE, finishing, 23Nov21

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