Racial inequality and apocalyptic futures in American literature

在项目的第一年，我的研究时间主要花在阅读现有的研究和建立一个领域的状态。利用kakenhi基金，我购买了最近和经典的关于投机小说中种族的文本，以及其他更广泛地与美国文学中种族研究相关的作品，并一直从事这些作品的研究。由于第一年是研究的探索性阶段，我的研究重点进入了意想不到的方向，超出了Octavia E. Butler的作品，包括了经典的投机小说和幻想作品，以及其他非裔美国作家处理种族主题的作品。在这一年中，我对该领域的现状有了新的认识，并扩大了我对与项目相关的重要文学作品的认识。建立该领域的状态和调查现有文献的过程正在进行中。

In the first year of the project, my research time was spent primarily in reading existing research and establishing a state of the field. Using kakenhi funds, I purchased recent and classic texts on race in speculative fiction, as well as other works relevant to the study of race in American literature more generally, and I have been engaged in studying these works. As the first year was an exploratory phase of research, my research focus has moved in unanticipated directions, going beyond the work of Octavia E. Butler to include classic works of speculative fiction and fantasy and other works by African American authors that deal with the topic of race. During this year, I have gained new understanding of the state of the field, and have expanded my awareness of important works of literature relevant to the project. This process of establishing a state of the field and surveying existing literature is ongoing.