The Identity Microcosm of Cyberpunk

The exploration of human and non-human identities has rapidly developed in popular culture during the rise of the digital revolution through the figure of the cyborg, an organic and mechanical machine. Cyberpunk, a strand of science fiction (sci-fi), places cyborgs at the center of its narratives having the potential to disrupt oppressive realities as well as reinforce them. Societal problematics are ever-present in Cyberpunk movies in the form of stereotypical beliefs about gender and race where women are hyper-sexual, men are hyper- masculine and Black and Asian characters are commodified. The lack of quality representations is rooted in the structural issues of the sci-fi industry where White men still predominate behind the camera and on camera while women and ethnic actors are cast in side roles. Because of the lack of critical lens and care of Cyberpunk producers toward groups that do not represent them, the Cyberpunk genre inevitably absorbs and projects identity conflicts. This research seeks to explore the identity microcosm of Cyberpunk and unravel the various forms of exclusion and emancipation of its characters. It contributes to the socio-cultural and academic framework of contemporary Cyberpunk in relation to gender and ethnicity by providing a critical and intersectional analysis. This study thus focuses on the ways in which gender and ethnicity are co-constructed in U.S. Cyberpunk movies featuring female cyborgs released between 2017 and 2021. In doing so, it is looking into the Cyberpunk universe of Ghost in The Shell (2017), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), and Zone 414 (2021) by adopting a socio-constructivist, feminist, and intersectional approach. This thesis uses the method of thematic analysis as drafted by Braun and Clarke (2006) to generate an in-depth understanding of the textual and visual elements of the selected movies. The findings reveal that the construction of gender and ethnicity is facilitated by the perpetuation of social hierarchies that question the agency of gender and ethnic minorities, while simultaneously constructing non-linear narratives that foster contradictory identities. The selected movies perpetuate a system of patriarchy and capitalism that assigns stereotypical dualisms in the female and racial body by erasing their agency. Women are trapped in positions of powerlessness and portrayed in domestic, sexual, and victim roles. Women of color are the first to be affected being subjected to narrative exoticism and placed in hyper-capitalist decorative roles that commodify their bodies. These hierarchies are 2 perpetuated by the upper class constituted by White men and their corporations such as the Veidt corporation in Zone 414 (2021), Hanka Robotics in Ghost in the Shell (2017), and the city of Zalem in Alita: Battle Angel (2019). These men construct their superior self-identity through the oppression of women and ethnic characters. Nevertheless, there are instances that challenge gender narratives highlighting women’s ability to birth emancipatory spaces of oppositional actions and outlining various forms of masculinities. Ultimately, this research acts as a first step in thinking about gender and race as active organisms as well as encourage cultural producers and consumers to reimagine the world from an intersectional speculative lens.