Despite the popularity of young adult literature and speculative fiction locally and globally, there is not a lot
of critical analysis done on the literature being developed for, and consumed by, young readers. This essay
contributes to the small, albeit valuable, body of knowledge on Philippine children’s literature and its intersections with postcolonial speculative literatures. It focuses on selected stories from the anthology Science Fiction: Filipino Fiction for Young Adults (published by the University of the Philippines Press in 2016) and examines how the anthology destabilizes Western definitions of science fiction for young readers. By negotiating the genre definitions of “science fiction” and “young adult” for a non-Western audience, the article shows how Filipino writers have imagined the future and represent the experiences of  young non-Western readers, who have otherwise been excluded from Western science fiction. In doing so, it is revealed how the genre can widen and expand its parameters to include readers from other parts of the world.

Read the full article: DOI: 10.3366/ccs.2022.0456