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Mobilities, Literature, Culture pp 259–280Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Autonomous Vehicles: From Science Fiction to Sustainable Future

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Part of the book series: Studies in Mobilities, Literature, and Culture ((SMLC))

Abstract

Understanding the confluence of technology and society poses challenges of many kinds. The first appearance of driverless cars in science-fiction publications at the beginning of the twentieth century present a techno-social imaginary that is one-dimensional and non-spatial. By highlighting the complexities of the politics of automobility this chapter argues that these texts offer important insights into the enduring actualities and ethical dilemmas of sustainable transport, looking at them through a lens that owes a good deal to Louis Althusser’s model of the by Ideological State Apparatus. These limitations help to better understand what sorts of connected infrastructures need to be in place if autonomous vehicles are to become a realisable and sustainable transport option.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, Austria

    Robert Braun

Authors
  1. Robert Braun
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Marian Aguiar

  2. School of Literature and Languages, University of Surrey , Guildford, UK

    Charlotte Mathieson

  3. Department of English Literature & Creative Writing, Lancaster University , Lancaster, UK

    Lynne Pearce

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Braun, R. (2019). Autonomous Vehicles: From Science Fiction to Sustainable Future. In: Aguiar, M., Mathieson, C., Pearce, L. (eds) Mobilities, Literature, Culture. Studies in Mobilities, Literature, and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27072-8_11

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