The Return of History in the Post Truth Era: Some reflections on Doron Rabinovici’s Novel Die Außerirdischen

Authors:

Pages: 155-172
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/QKYP4919

Abstract:

Doron Rabinovici’s novel, Die Außerirdischen (The Aliens) is a satirical parable of the present which through the medium of science fiction examines critically many topics related to contemporary society such as alien invasion and conspiracy theories, Gameshows and cannibalism, economic expansion and human morality in the age of market fundamentalism, as well as Food Frenzy and charitable activities. The article analyses the fictional constellations and facts represented in the novel that cause the return of the greatest and real historical catastrophe of the XXth century – fascism. After a brief review of the theoretical prerequisites for the post truth era, based on significant works by Hannah Arendt, Jacques Derrida: Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari foregrounding their anti-totalitarian implications, the analytical focus shifts to the new forms and manifestations of totalitarianism, political allegories, the interplay between utopia and dystopia, examining life in and through media, its transformation into pure fiction, as well as the possibility for a way out.

Keywords:

media; post-truth; totalitarianism; microfascism; dystopia; otherness

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