Patricia Kerslake

Papers

Total Citations

123

H-Index

About

Patricia Kerslake’s research sits at the provocative intersection of science fiction, political theory, and postcolonial critique. Her most influential work, *Science Fiction and Empire* (2010, 123 citations), offers a groundbreaking analysis of how the human impulse to experiment with empire—once enacted through real soldiers, slaves, and colonial force—is reimagined in futuristic narratives. Kerslake argues that today’s generation ships, off-world pioneers, robots, and even “electronic sheep” become the new tools for exploring domination, expansion, and resistance. By reframing science fiction as a laboratory for imperial thought, she has reshaped how scholars understand the genre’s political and ethical stakes. Her work is widely cited across literary studies, postcolonial theory, and the growing field of speculative culture. Kerslake’s contributions are notable for their clarity and daring: she challenges readers to see familiar tropes—invasion, colonization, artificial life—as reflections of enduring human drives. For students and researchers, her biography is a model of how to use genre fiction as a serious lens for interrogating power, history, and the futures we imagine.