England Looks to the Future: The Cultural Forum Model and Doctor Who

The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader

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Enlightenment was the choice: Doctor Who and the Democratisation of Science

The present study examines the relationship between gender and scientific competence in fictional representations of scientists in the British science fiction television program Doctor Who. Previous studies of fictional scientists have argued that women are often depicted as less scientifically capable than men, but these have largely taken a simple demographic approach or focused exclusively on female scientist characters. By examining both male and female scientists (n = 222) depicted over the first 50 years of Doctor Who, our study shows that, although male scientists significantly outnumbered female scientists in all but the most recent decade, both genders have consistently been depicted as equally competent in scientific matters. However, an in-depth analysis of several characters depicted as extremely scientifically non-credible found that their behavior, appearance, and relations were universally marked by more subtle violations of gender expectations. Incompetent male scientists were largely depicted as effeminate and lacking in masculinity. In addition, many incompetent male and all incompetent female scientists served regimes that were problematically effeminate, collectivist and pacifist, or male-rejecting and ruled by women. Although Doctor Who avoids overtly treating women and men unequally, strong codes of masculine capability and prowess nevertheless continue to influence representations of scientific competence, pointing to the continued pervasiveness of such associations within wider Western culture. Professionals working to encourage gender-inclusive practices in science should look to subtle discourses about the masculine culture of science in addition to institutional and structural impediments to participation for women and gender minorities.

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The Gendered Culture of Scientific Competence: A Study of Scientist Characters in Doctor Who 1963–2013

Much of the public understanding of science literature dealing with fictional scientists claims that scientist villains by their nature embody an antiscience critique. I characterize this claim and its founding assumptions as the "mad scientist" trope. I show how scientist villain characters from the science fiction television series Doctor Who undermine the trope via the programme's use of rhetorical strategies similar to Gilbert and Mulkay's empiricist and contingent repertoires, which define and patrol the boundaries between "science" and "non-science." I discuss three such strategies, including the literal framing of scientist villains as "mad." All three strategies exclude the characters from science, relieve science of responsibility for their villainy, and overtly or covertly contribute to the delivery of pro-science messages consistent with rationalist scientism. I focus on scientist villains from the most popular era of Doctor Who, the mid 1970s, when the show embraced the gothic horror genre.

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Antirationalist critique or fifth column of scientism? Challenges from Doctor Who to the mad scientist trope.

This article uses feminist moral theory to explore the ethical framework that underpins the 2005 revival of Doctor Who . Focusing on the character Rose, it argues that in contrast to the action heroine, Rose’s strengths are caring and compassion – traditionally feminine virtues. Exploring the degree to which such a characterisation might be considered empowering, the article concludes that, in the context of Doctor Who , acts of care, when carried out by women, serve to limit agency and restrict individual growth.

England Looks to the Future: The Cultural Forum Model and Doctor Who

Citations

The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader

Enlightenment was the choice: Doctor Who and the Democratisation of Science

The Gendered Culture of Scientific Competence: A Study of Scientist Characters in Doctor Who 1963–2013

Antirationalist critique or fifth column of scientism? Challenges from Doctor Who to the mad scientist trope.

Rose Tyler: The ethics of care and the limit of agency

References

The People’s PeaceBritish History 1945-1989

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