Themes & Topics

This text, being an interview with an SF author, quite differs in its flow than a scholarly article. The following are some themes and topics that are of general interest to STS scholars:

1. Boundaries/Transgressions: The interview is part of a special issue on SF and anthropology in which authors explore ways of thinking with forms of speculative fiction. In this interview, Robinson first discusses his influences in social sciences and humanities (primarily being science studies) and how his readings and background has affected his writing. Furthermore, he thoroughly discusses how SF's relations with science fact and his readership. His work, particularly his novels on planetary transformations has been inspiring people in STEM which,  like many other works of SF, creates 'transgressions' over assumed boundaries; i.e. science fiction/science fact, science fiction/science studies, etc.
2. Planetary Transformations: Robinson has been writing quite a lot about our planet, climate futures, terraforming other planets, etc. The scientific and popular discourses on the future of our planet and the plausibility of moving beyond Earth being very current, the interviewers and Robinson discuss his writing and his views on certain issues including climate change and how to act on it, terraforming in our neighborhood the solar system, etc. 
3. Science and Capitalism: In conjunction with the planet being at an impasse with the Anthropocene, Robinson discusses de-stranding science from capitalism, despite the two having emerged together. Some of his novels, for instance his Mars Trilogy, feature world-making experiments with how it would be possible to conduct science in non- or post-capitalist worlds.
4. Storytelling and Textual Agency: In this interview, Robinson has provided a lot of insight into world-making and creative writing, from how he incorporates bodily experiences into his writing to how his novels "seize" him like dreams. Furthermore, he discusses the potentialities in his work being interpreted differently than what he intended.