Description: First Contact: Speculative Visions of the Conquest of the Americas examines the power of speculative fiction to reimagine historical accounts of the conquest of the Americas, asking whether it is truly possible to decolonize the speculative imagination.
Review Quotes:
"This careful, learned, beautifully written piece of criticism makes an important intervention in both historiographic and artistic contexts." --Los Angeles Review of Books
"A broadly interdisciplinary project that examines the impact of contact, conquest, and colonization while exploring the histories and legacies of cultural encounter. Extremely well researched, First Contact makes a significant contribution to the fields of Latin American studies and science fiction studies and will have lasting merit for scholars and students alike." --Rachel Haywood, Iowa State University
"This original book dares to propose a fruitful dialogue between colonial and speculative fiction studies by taking the reader through the analysis of a wide variety of cultural artifacts, including colonial documents, literary texts, artworks, and maps. Throughout this intellectual journey, Zimmer's provocative piece of research opens new paths for understanding the potential of speculative fiction and art to contribute to the struggles against, and to imagine a future without, colonialism." --Gustavo Verdesio, University of Michigan