<p>In the struggle for an ever more equitable and just society, we must lean on literature for the experience of worlds imagined. These may serve as beacons, whether welcoming or warning, to light the path we as a community want to take. In utopias we find the ideal, the prototype, the horizon on which our values and dreams converge. In dystopias, the opposite, the nightmare we wish to wake from. In this sense, science fiction in general and dystopian fiction in particular can help us better understand our world and how to improve it by showing us the inherent dangers within it.</p>
<p>In her award-winning novel, The Handmaid&rsquo;s Tale, Margaret Atwood offers us the vision of a future gone completely astray. In the Republic of Gilead society is puritanical, oppressive, unfair, unjust, unforgiving. But not unrealistic. In imagining this possible future for us, Atwood shows us precisely what is wrong with our present and the logical extension of it should we continue to indulge the patriarchy. As a work of dystopian fiction this proves that to imagine better worlds we must move away from the one we have inherited, and to create worse ones is as easy as keeping it the same.</p>
<p>This course will consist of a collective close reading of Atwood&rsquo;s novel, as well as a look into complimentary intertextual material that will hopefully inspire a critical contemplation of our society and propose new and challenging calls to actions. We will consider not just new ways of experiencing femininity and masculinity, but also the entire panoply of gender. Literature can help us think and feel in deeper and more extensive ways, and thus make us more sensitive to the pressures we face as a community. This course is aimed at building upon that foundation to inspire change, because the endless pursuit of utopia demands the participation of all.</p>

The Handmaid’s Tale and the Tautology of the Dystopian Patriarchy

Welcome to the first 4-months reading cycle of Data-Pop Alliance’s internal feminist book club! As illustrated by this selection of non-fiction readings, gender inequalities and sexism (still) affect multiple facets of women’s everyday lives, as well as social norms, opportunities and much more. Building on studies in the fields of neuroscience, data, geography, etc., we will deepen our understanding of these structural power relations to collectively (continue to) confabulate our everyday resistance ?????????

Readings were voted by team members, and will be read in the order stated below, at the pace of 1 book per month. A Zoom conversation is planned the first week of each month, and will be lead by the book’s volunteer moderator (see below). 

@readers: you are strongly encouraged to create a post about each book we read. Posts are an opportunity for consolidating our personal reflection and formulate our opinion. You can also take part in the cycle’s Forum to ask questions and/or share short comments. Posts and comments will be used as inputs for the Zoom conversation, so make sure to share your thoughts!  

Timeline (March - July 2021):
* Men explain things to me. Conversation on April 5th, moderated by Daniela.
* Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Conversation on May 3rd, moderated by Berenice.
* The Gendered Brain. Conversation on June 7th, moderated by Zinnya.
* Feminist City. Conversation on July 5th, moderated by Mariana.

F-club

Monica Lewinsky and filmmaker Max Joseph (Catfish) examine the human price of public shaming and cyber-harassment, profiling people who have experienced them first-hand – while investigating the bullies, bystanders, and experts in between.

15 Minutes of Shame

In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all.

What do we want?

In this groundbreaking collection, more than fifty cutting-edge voices, including Melissa Harris-Perry, Janet Mock, Sheila Heti, and Mia McKenzie, invite us to imagine a truly feminist world. An abortion provider reinvents birth control, Sheila Bapat envisions an economy that values domestic work, a teenage rock band dreams up a new way to make music, Katherine Cross rewrites the Constitution, and Maya Dusenbery resets the standard for good sex. Combining essays, interviews, poetry, illustrations, and short stories, The Feminist Utopia Project challenges the status quo that accepts inequality and violence as a given—and inspires us to demand a radically better future.

 The Feminist Utopia Project: Fifty-Seven Visions of a Wildly Better Future

Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. One of these women, Offred, is determined to survive the terrifying world she lives in, and find the daughter that was taken from her.

The Handmaid's Tale (TV Show)

<div>Can artificial intelligence be racist, misogynistic or classist? How have technologies become the new weapon of colonization? Why does it affect us when our data (every action we take on the Internet) is sold to the highest bidder? Are there ways to create futures with inclusive and empowering technologies for women and minorities? <br><br>Join the "Between Cyborgs and Feminists" book club to discover fiction and non-fiction stories that reveal some answers to these and other questions, and help us reimagine and rethink our role as citizens in building futures where technology serves us all.<br><br>Throughout the duration of this series, we will read and watch works that will not only make you think, but will keep you entertained and give the community a lot to talk about. Don't miss it!</div>

Among Cyborgs and Feminists

<div>
<p dir="ltr">Dive into a thought-provoking exploration where culture meets AI. In this interactive workshop, participants are invited to collectively reflect about the impacts of technology, data, and AI on current and future society.</p>
Participants will be asked to reminisce on a book or film that resonates with them on this theme, something that might have sparked hope, induced fear, or made you ponder its implications within your own community. They will be guided to express these reflections through a unique AI-generated image, crafted during the workshops.<strong id="docs-internal-guid-087803f6-7fff-ebb9-dbad-6c0edbbdff40"></strong></div>

Visions of our future

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Once in a great while, a book comes along that changes our view of the world. This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is “an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures ... a poignant meditation on love and loneliness” (The Associated Press). • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick! Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

Klara and the Sun

The first novel in Isaac Asimov’s classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series THE EPIC SAGA THAT INSPIRED THE APPLE TV+ SERIES FOUNDATION • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation. The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the most influential in the history of science fiction, celebrated for their unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. In Foundation, Asimov has written a timely and timeless novel of the best—and worst—that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.

Foundation

"Lágrimas en la lluvia" is a science fiction novel by Spanish author Rosa Montero, set in a dystopian future where humans live alongside replicants—artificial beings almost indistinguishable from humans. The novel is rich with themes of memory, identity, and mortality, reminiscent of Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and the movie "Blade Runner," which the title itself references.

The story unfolds in Madrid in the year 2109, a time when the Earth is part of the United States of Earth, and humanity has established colonies on other planets in the solar system. Society is technologically advanced, and genetic engineering is common. However, this progress has come with a cost: discrimination and social unrest, especially towards 'technohumans' or replicants.

The protagonist is Bruna Husky, a tough and independent female replicant detective who has been engineered for strength but, like all replicants, has a predetermined lifespan. The knowledge of her limited time ignites a struggle with her own mortality. She is drawn into a complex investigation when a series of mysterious deaths occur, all replicants who have started to go insane and die prematurely. As Bruna delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the delicate balance between humans and replicants.

Montero weaves a narrative that questions the nature of reality and the soul, and whether artificial beings can possess the latter. Bruna's character grapples with the philosophical implications of her existence and the emotional turmoil of knowing her days are numbered. She is a replicant with memories implanted from another life, a common theme in works dealing with artificial intelligence and consciousness.

"Lágrimas en la lluvia" is a reflection on the human condition through the lens of speculative fiction, pondering what it means to be human in a world where the line between human and machine is blurred. The novel not only provides a gripping detective story but also a profound commentary on prejudice, love, and the search for one's identity.






Tears in the rain

Usamos livros, filmes e documentários para ajudar a entender os assuntos atuais que estão moldando o nosso mundo.

Vem com a gente reimaginar um futuro em que a tecnologia esteja à serviço da nossa humanidade. Janeiro-Abril 2024.

Você gosta de livros, filmes e política? Vem construir com a gente um amanhã mais esperançoso e politicamente engajado.

Somos o primeiro clube digital de livros e filmes voltados para a justiça social

Inscrições abertas para participar do "Entre Cyborgs & Feministas"!

Inscreva-se já no Clube de Leitura e Cinema Político do Juliano Medeiros!

A série é relativamente boa - mas poderia aprofundar mais algumas hipóteses que ela levanta (por exemplo o efeito que o frenesi das redes sociais teve no resultado do julgamento).

Depp V Heard · Eureka

Julie Ricard

A série é boa, mas, na minha opinião, não chega em um ponto de reflexão.

Amanda Gois

The Artifice Girl · Eureka

Eureka

Eu tenho pós-graduação em IA, e a verdade achei as discussões sobre dilemas relacionados à IA de bom nível e bem feitas 👏<br><img style="max-width:100%" class="talk-parsed-image" src="https://media.tenor.com/YxBoYzfp0NkAAAAC/tennisgif-tennis.gif"' alt="" width="" height="" />

Alejandro NC

O filme é interessante e aborda temas que me interessam, como a discussão ética sobre as inteligências artificiais. O começo é meio arrastado, mas acredito que a obra aborda bem a questão da dificuldade em saber lidar com novas tecnologias e novas ferramentas de trabalho.

Apesar de ser lento, fiquei muito envolvida no filme. Super recomendo assistir.

The movie struggles with the information it provides. There is a lot of content about feminism, but none about how this movement can be beneficial to both women and men in a society where female characters are violated and disrespected. There is also a lot of content about a dreamland where everyone is equal, but it fails in providing diversity. It is a doll movie, so I wasn&#039;t expecting a great discussion, but to be honest, it proved to be worse than I thought it would be.

Barbie · Eureka

Para mim, o filme se perde entre ser uma comédia pastelão com vilões idiotizados e um filme que busca trazer reflexões aprofundadas sobre o mundo em que vivemos.

Jared Manuel Torres Santa

Eu gostei do filme, mas minhas expectativas eram moderadas. Sim a Barbie tem alguns aspectos feministas, mas nunca vi ela como de fato uma porta voz do feminismo (pelo menos da minha visão de feminismo). O filme só confirma isso. Ao mesmo tempo, estou adorando ver os masculinistas incomodados com um filme onde os homens são bestas e inúteis. Isso o filme faz muito bem. Se isso foi o objetivo da Greta Gerwig e da Margot Robbie, acertaram. Se objetivo foi se tornar um ícone do feminismo contemporâneo, erraram.

Para mim o filme tem pontos altos e baixos, ele ganha em muitos momentos trazendo uma comédia que cabe muito bem no contexto e trazendo uma realidade onde as mulheres que comandam e o homem serve apenas para idolatrá-la, mas ele perde quando tenta se levar a sério em contextos cujo discurso é raso e o plot parece que se perde com as diversas questões que a barbie precisa lidar.

Julia Amadio

La película me pareció un buen acercamiento hacia lo que es el feminismo, pero considero que definitivamente pudieron ofrecer un poco más, ya que queda todo muy por encima, me pareció divertida la forma en la que plasman la masculinidad y la necesidad del hombre de ser importante, creo que manejan un mensaje fácil de entender, pero que al dejarlo de lado pierde un poco de fuerza

AIME CRUZ

Como se cria um movimento social hoje em dia? O documentário dá algumas pistas, mas também deixa várias perguntas. Entre elas, como se financia o movimento Fridays4Future. Acredito que movimento tem apoio de alguns think tanks que lutam contra o aquecimento global - e acho que o tema poderia ter sido abordado um pouco no documentário.

I Am Greta · Eureka

Me parece un documental muy interesante, por el tipo de movimiento y la forma en la que este se da y por el alcance de este tipo de campañas cuando son expuestas en redes sociales, me parece que los jóvenes si son el futuro de la sociedad, pero creo también que no se aborda ni habla mucho en el documental sobre el problema principal y el porqué? real del movimiento de greta, cuales son sus motivadores, como llego a tener tanto alcance, que medidas se han implementado ya, como funciona el movimiento fridays4future, entre otros cuestionamientos que deja el documental, fuera de eso es interesante ver los puntos de vistas generados a raíz de una campaña de tal alcance.

Um retrato de 1960 que fala sobre assuntos que continuamos debatendo: racismo estrutural, sexismo e questões socioeconômicas. Um livro muito triste que toca em feridas que temos enquanto sociedade brasileira e quem muitas vezes escolhemos (de forma consciente ou inconsciente) ignorar.

Somos o primeiro clube digital de livros e filmes voltados para a justiça social

Inscrições abertas para participar do "Entre Cyborgs & Feministas"!

Inscreva-se já no Clube de Leitura e Cinema Político do Juliano Medeiros!

Somos o primeiro clube digital de livros e filmes voltados para a justiça social

Inscrições abertas para participar do "Entre Cyborgs & Feministas"!

Inscreva-se já no Clube de Leitura e Cinema Político do Juliano Medeiros!

Create an Eureka Moment to summarize a book or movie that impacted you using an image!

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