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Abstract
The science fiction film Avatar will be examined in light of the social-political context in which it was written, demonstrating the director's highly charged critique of US foreign policy. Yet this paper also argues that the depiction of the alien native species remains problematic from a postcolonial perspective. "Decolonising Pandora" addresses too the ways that Avatar has been used for political ends by peoples throughout the world, while acting as a vehicle for a critical examination of traditional definitions of empire and imperial history overall.
Introduction
James Cameron's science fiction (SF) blockbuster Avatar (2009) is a film about futuristic human-alien contact that takes place on a fictional moon called Pandora in the Alpha Centauri star system. It is famous for being the most expensive cinematic production ever made, its groundbreaking 3-D technology, and the fact that it has grossed over two billion US dollars worldwide. Yet it is of interest for more than just special effects and profit margins. Avatar has been also the subject of considerable media discussion regarding its anti-establishment political ideology and its historical revisionism. This paper has four aims. Firstly, Avatar will be examined in light of the social-political context in which it was written, namely the American-led invasion of Iraq at the start of the twenty-first century during the presidency of George W. Bush (2000-2008). The film's dialogue references the requirement to "fight terror with terror," "shock and awe," and a "hearts and minds" strategy, while the plot centers on the need to gain control of a valuable energy source ("unobtainium" as opposed to oil). Therefore, Avatar comes across as a highly charged critique of Bush's US foreign policy, especially the so-called "War on Terror". As such it stands in good stead with a tradition of other anti-colonial SF texts and American metropolitan critiques of empire.
Secondly, we argue that while the film's plot is a blatant metaphor for the history of European-Indigenous colonial contact, the depiction of the Na'vi (Pandora's indigenous humanoid species) remains problematic from a postcolonial perspective. However well-intentioned Cameron's motives may have been, the Na'vi are portrayed as one-dimensional, environmentalist, noble savage caricatures that ironically only serve to reveal the continuous power of a colonialist mindset. Avatar subsequently exposes the extent and depth...