This week we discuss James Cameron’s infamous Avatar films, specifically focusing on the second film and its fetishisation of colonialism. Buckle up folks, it’s a wild ride.

We talk about colonialism and environmental destruction as a spectacle, the myth of the Noble Savage and the White Messiah, nuclear families and heteronormative depictions of intimacy and domination, and of course, the usual topics of sexism, racism, misogyny and cultural appropriation.

Recommendations:

It’s Not About The Burqa — a collection of essays edited by Mariam Khan. My favourite chapters:

• On The Representation Of Muslims: Terms and Conditions Apply by Nafisa Bakkar
• Between Submission And Threat: The British State’s Contradictory Relationship With Muslim Women by Malia Bouattia
• A Woman Of Substance by Saima Mir

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group

Sources:

'Avatar 2' Production Designers Explain Every Vehicle in 'The Way of Water,' From SeaDragons to Skel Suits

'Avatar 2' VFX Team on the Evolution of the Tulkun and Simulating Water for Performance Capture

'Avatar 2' Cast: What 'The Way of Water' Cast Really Looks Like - Variety

Indigenous people slam Avatar (again) for tropes and inaccuracies

Opinion | The Messiah Complex - The New York Times

Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation, 1981