NEW DELHI, Jan. 1 -- Imagining things like the future is the trick of the trade of us science fiction and fantasy (SFF) writers. But in a way we are also interpreters of history. Whether we're writing futures or different worlds, aliens or dragons or magical humans, we build our worlds based on the societies we know, add a speculative element (or a few), and make stories out of the difference. And this is where things get murky.
Too many people don't like history or politics in their visions of the future. History and politics are divisive and controversial, while the future is supposed to be for all of humanity. Usually, for such people, humanity refers to able-bodied men from majority social groups, raised in comfort and with access to e...