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

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 andecological concerns, which culminate in the oppressed successfully rooting out thewhite, Eurocentric oppressor. However, such allegorizing is limited by a gaze thatlocates the “human” as separate from the “animal” and “nature”. This study aims toanalyse the speculative biology of Pandora and its symbiotic ecosystem, which isposited as “better” than the ‘invading’ humans’ metal-based technology. It questionsthe romanticised idea of nature as an assemblage of indigenous people, fauna andflora. Finally, this paper investigates the various anthropocentric currents runningthrough 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 theexperiences of the marginalized non-human.