Black speculative fiction makes its audiences imagine possibilities for people in the African diaspora that exist outside our usual understandings of the world.
Here are three of its many genres, carrying our culture through various points in time.
Dieselfunk
Set in the early 20th century, including eras like the Harlem Renaissance, WWI, and WWII, Dieselfunk was coined by Balogun Ojetade. Think, Black mobsters and reinvented race rebellions. Saidiya Hartman’s book “Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments” also fits here, describing young Black women’s interior lives, resistance, and survival.
Black Horror
This genre isn’t just scary stories with Black characters. From Jordan Peele’s Get Out to Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” it specifically interrogates what makes Black people afraid. In the end, protagonists usually learn a lesson from their fears.
Sword and Soul
Founded by Charles R. Saunders in the 80s, stories in this genre detail action and quest-filled adventures, all set in pre-colonial Africa. This combination of fantasy and alternate history allows us to imagine ourselves without colonization, which feels so long ago but once existed – and can exist again.
Our diaspora uses speculation through fiction to hold curiosity, uncertainty, and wonder – and not just for entertainment. Speculative fiction forces us to imagine a reality beyond the conditions of our current world.
Because once we imagine it, we can begin to make it real.