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Research Articles

No. 1

Nature Strikes Back: A Post-human Gaze into Eco-critical Narratives of James Cameron’s Avatar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15881794
Submitted
3 June 2022
Published
28.10.2021

Abstract

The success of James Cameron’s Avatar can be located in its stunning visuals, imaginative world-building and a straight-forward narrative propounding colonial and ecological concerns, which culminate in the oppressed successfully rooting out the white, Eurocentric oppressor. However, such allegorizing is limited by a gaze that locates the “human” as separate from the “animal” and “nature”. This study aims to analyse the speculative biology of Pandora and its symbiotic ecosystem, which is posited as “better” than the ‘invading’ humans’ metal-based technology. It questions the romanticised idea of nature as an assemblage of indigenous people, fauna and flora. Finally, this paper investigates the various anthropocentric currents running through the film, critiques the Na’vi’s subtle ‘humanistic’ dominance over other fauna, and delves into the possibility of adopting a truly unbiased lens to encapsulate the experiences of the marginalized non-human.

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