Krista Collier-Jarvis uses 21st-century zombie narratives to help us better understand our relationship with contagion, while applying Indigenous approaches to traditionally Eurocentric horror and gothic genres.
“The inclusion of Indigenous culture, such as Sharing Circle methodologies, Netukulimk, and Two-Eyed Seeing, within academia is one way to ensure a continuation of Indigenous knowledge.”
@LNuonHorror
It is time to embrace extinction! On first blush, this idea might sound terrifying and extremist. However, when I say, “it is time to embrace extinction,” I don’t mean we should sit down and passively watch as species—possibly including ourselves—are whisked away in what many are considering to be the sixth great mass extinction. Rather, […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on September 28, 2022 In 2021, conversations began on whether the COVID-19 pandemic will, or even can, end. As a literary and cultural theorist, I started looking for shifts in stories about pandemics and contagion. It turns out that several stories also question how and when a pandemic becomes […]
Part 1 What is a world without walkers? It would be remiss for me to spend a year discussing zombies without at least mentioning The Walking Dead given its impact on the subgenre. It would be even more remiss for me to neglect to do so considering that The Walking Dead is responsible for my […]
The idea of “fungus monsters” might conjure up comedic images of giant mushrooms chasing people through the streets, but that’s not what I mean when I say we need more “fungus monsters.” Well, not entirely what I mean. Fungus Zombies In 2013, a new kind of zombie emerged—the fungus zombie—essentially, humans infected with Ophiocordyceps. Ophiocordyceps […]
Welcome to the 1980s…again! The fourth season of Stranger Things just dropped on Netflix. Within days, it became the second most watched television season in the history of the streaming site—second only to Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean series, Squid Game. Stranger Things is saturated with 80s references, including fashion, toys & games, films, and who […]
Content warning: Please note that this blog contains topics of genocide and violence that are disturbing and potentially triggering Indigenous Métissage This blog is an experimental embodiment of a decolonial research praxis called Indigenous Métissage. First developed by Dwayne Donald (Cree/Norwegian), Indigenous Métissage is an approach to knowledge whereby one seeks to better understand place […]
In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed their blog on zombie preparedness. Originally launched in 2011, “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse” covered such topics as how to stock an emergency kit and how to prepare an emergency plan. The CDC, of course, was merely drawing on the zombie as a metaphor for […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on March 23, 2022. With many provinces across Canada lifting vaccine and mask mandates, anxieties are high. If COVID-19 is becoming endemic, we must search for what philosopher Jonathan Lear calls “radical hope.” However, alongside trauma and particularly in times of pandemics throughout history, hope can […]
As a PhD Candidate studying zombie narratives, I feel compelled to begin with the end—I mean this both literally and metaphorically. In the literal sense, I wish to respond to a question posed by my friend and fellow English PhD colleague, Michael Cameron, who ends “Revisiting our Fascination with Disaster” by asking, “How do we […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on February 14, 2022 The media has been inundated by images of the ‘freedom convoy’ that began converging on Ottawa on Jan. 28. The convoy reflects our continued inability to find a middle ground when it comes to debates surrounding COVID-19 mandates and proposed vaccine passports. […]
