Avatar (2009)
Part of PAN Thinks, a podcast of PAN Works.
We are looking forward to the first pod of the “Avatar Arc,” streaming this Thursday, 20 July 2023 @ 7:00 pm/19:00 eastern time on Zoom.
We’ll explore the movie Avatar (2009) and what it means for animals through a lively conversation with our panelists and you! Come join us.
If you have yet to register, you can do so here.
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYuc-itrzgpHtSdVy67V0xYM4uITWxYwYz-
The pod will be recorded. Audio and video will post to the web in subsequent weeks.
The movie Avatar (2009) was wildly popular, grossing over 2 billion in ticket and streaming sales. Academic and popular reviews, however, were split. Some praised the story for its depiction of empathy, solidarity, and liberation for the Na’vi. Other for the portrayal of the intrinsic value, personhood, and ecological connectedness of Eywa’s people, animals and nature. Still others condemned the movie for a myth of the white savior, cultural appropriation, ablism, traditional gender roles, and celebrations of wildness.
If you want to look deeper into the debate, here are a few resources. This list is not comprehensive, but it gives a taste of the diverse perspectives on the movie.
Avatar (2009), https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/
https://james-camerons-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Avatar_Wiki
The Internet Movie Database and Fandom Wiki provide a wealth of information about the movie.
Sideris, L. H. (2010). I See You: Interspecies Empathy and Avatar. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v4i4.457
Taylor, B. (2013). Avatar and nature spirituality. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.
The ethics of Avatar is often approached through questions of empathy and religion.
Holtmeier, M. (2010). Post-Pandoran Depression or Na’vi Sympathy: Avatar, Affect, and Audience Reception. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v4i4.414
Piazza, J. (2010). Audiences experience Avatar blues. Special to CNN, 6. https://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html
A story and study of the psychological effect of Avatar. Akin to moral injury.
Meade, F. A. (2010). Avatar: an extension of White supremacy. Journal of Pan African Studies, 3(6), 207–211.
Khan, M. S. Z. (2011). Postcolonial Study of Cameron’s Avatar. Crossings: A Journal of English Studies, 3(1), 322–327. https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v3i1.360
Two critiques of Avatar from the perspective of critical race and postcolonial theory, respectively.
William Lynn is the founder of PAN Works.
Please visit PAN Works for more about our work on ethics and animal wellbeing.
