Between Science Fiction and Social Sciences: The “Dark Side” of American Cities

Abstract

From the Metropolis of Fritz Lang to the city-planet of Coruscant, capital of the Star Wars galaxy, the city of the future (or of another universe) seems designed to reflect the “dark side” of our contemporary megalopolis which suffer problems presented as insurmountable: traffic jams, contamination, environmental degradation, ethnic conflicts, deficient public services, rising social and spatial disparities, daily violence... In order to develop this imaginary geography of fear, Latin American cities are often a source of inspiration for science fiction authors because they seem to them simultaneously weird and well-known, old and modern, welcoming and dangerous.