Born of Necessity: Alien Partners and Actor-Networks in Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary

Authors

  • Aravind R. Nair Assistant Professor, Department of English Sacred Heart College (Autonomous) Kochi, Kerala

Keywords:

science fiction, sf, alien, first-contact, Actor-Network Theory, ANT, Andy Weir, <i>Project Hail Mary</i>, discourse of science, science and technology studies, cooperation, assemblage, partnership, matters of concern.

Abstract

Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary (2021) is an atypical science fiction novel about the first-contact between a human and an intelligent alien being. Rather than engaging in conflict the protagonists set up a close partnership that overrides otherness. The paper investigates the mechanics of this unlikely partnership in the light of Actor-Network theory. The poignant presence of a shared matter of concern compels the principal actors in the narrative to assemble elaborate networks of cooperation through a series of expedient strategies. The paper further identifies these strategies as translational movements involved in the performance of an actor-network.

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Published

2024-01-31

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Articles

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