CoFutures, in the exhibition catalog of "ARABOFUTURS: Science Fiction and New Imaginaries"

Abstract

CoFuturisms encompass transmedial movements like Afro- and Africanfuturisms, Indigenous Futurisms, Arabfuturisms, and Sinofuturism, which assert the rights to exist, imagine one’s own future, and embrace difference. Emerging in response to colonialism, global capitalism, and cultural erasure, they challenge dominant histories and acknowledge that for many, apocalyptic futures are already lived realities. Grounded in complexity, coevalness, and compossibility, CoFuturisms resist singular narratives and remain fluid, refusing to become fixed movements. Arabfuturisms, for instance, reject nationalist and Eurocentric frameworks in favor of multiplicity and hybridity, as seen in the work of artists like Sulaïman Majali. While often explored through diasporic perspectives, Arabfuturist expressions also thrive across the Middle East, blending literature, film, and music with decolonial and social justice struggles, demonstrating how CoFuturisms continue to generate radical, coexisting futures.

Merve Tabur

Lecturer/Researcher

I am a scholar of comparative literature and environmental humanities, focusing on how environmental destruction is depicted in speculative fiction, film, and visual arts from the Southwest Asia/North Africa and its Anglophone diasporas.