Narratives of power

critical analysis of Elon Musk's extraplanetary imagination in "Back to Space"

Authors

  • Renato Guimarães Furtado Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/1982-6672.2025v17i52p180-197

Keywords:

Narratology, Elon Musk, Sociotechnical imaginaries , Extraplanetary imaginaries, Meganarrator

Abstract

This study analyzes the documentary “Return to Space” as a paradigmatic example of how media and cinema operate as political tools for consolidating hegemonic imaginaries. Through the integration of narratology with the concept of extraplanetary imaginaries, we examine how the film’s narrative reinforces Elon Musk’s techno-utopian projects, which promote space colonization as a solution to humanity’s existential challenges. Through narratological analysis and the concept of the meganarrator, we investigate how cinema can be mobilized as a vector of power that naturalizes certain visions of the future while marginalizing critical alternatives. It is concluded that a deeper critical analysis of media productions is necessary to address the power relations that institutionalize which utopias become hegemonic and who benefits from such narratives.

Author Biography

Renato Guimarães Furtado, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Doutorando e Mestre em Comunicação pela Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Jornalista e crítico de cinema formado pelo Festival Internacional de Cinema de Berlim (Rio de Janeiro, 2016). Estuda temas como espaço sideral, atmosferas, narrativa cinematográfica e geopolítica das comunicações.

Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0622663780279101

References

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Published

2026-01-26

How to Cite

Furtado, R. G. . (2026). Narratives of power: critical analysis of Elon Musk’s extraplanetary imagination in "Back to Space". Aurora. Journal of Art, Media and Politics., 17(52). https://doi.org/10.23925/1982-6672.2025v17i52p180-197