What exactly is science fiction, and how can it help us make sense of global problems we face in day-to-day life? Can a genre traditionally viewed as an ‘Anglo-American’ genre, portraying roaring machines and advanced technology, be relevant to a minority language culture?

In this episode, Dr Miriam Elin Jones discusses with host Elin Rhys, her interest in science fiction, and how what could potentially be seen as an antithesis to Welsh-language culture, explores many relevant and pressing concerns, such as language death and a minority language’s uneasy relationship with technology.

 

Dr Miriam Elin Jones is a Lecturer in Welsh at Swansea University and an expert on Welsh-language science fiction. Her research stems from a keen interest in how Welsh-language science-fiction explores the relationship between minority languages and technology and the idea of language decline, and how that might effect a society and its culture.

Dr Jones is currently part of the Narrating Rural Change Network, combining her upbringing with her research to explore portrayals of farming and rural life in Welsh-language science fiction. As a published author, she also has an interest in creative criticism, which offers the opportunity to combine literary criticism with creative writing.