Community Re-Imagined: Exploring Fantasy’s Mythopoetic Potential as a Critical Tool for Social Transformation in Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen

Abstract

In social work, there is often little consideration given to the importance of fantasy literature and its potential contribution for further discussions about its myth-making (mythopoesis) possibilities. The benefits of employing fantasy literature within social work foster the goals and processes of social justice by encouraging global and humanistic thinking (Chuddley-Diatta, 2018). Considering Canada’s current neo-liberalist position upholding systemic inequality and social injustice, this thesis argues for the transformative power of fantasy literature as a narrative for critique and resistance to individualist principles. Drawing on Steven Erikson’s ten volume series, Malazan Book of the Fallen, I propose a new genre called critical fantasy which employs critical reflection and mythopoesis to promote the importance of community and solidarity as a model for a new mythos of universal collaboration and harmony while offering future applications for critical social work pedagogy.