科技東方主義：保羅·巴奇加路比《曼谷的發條女孩》（2009）

Abstract

這篇論文以科技東方主義的視角，探討保羅·巴基加盧比（Paolo Bacigalupi）的《曼谷的發條女孩》（2009），重點分析其中的種族化權力結構和科技進展。故事中的科技被用來在不同種族群體之間的權力協商。從科技東方主義的角度來看，小說揭示了西方藉由科技維持全球優勢的神話，同時暴露了其對於失去科技控制的焦慮。泰國，作為生物技術領袖，通過茄科植物、Ngaw (紅毛丹) 以及種子庫的呈現，顛覆了這一主導地位的神話。泰國通過其獨特的種子庫，展示了超越西方影響的實力。使用科技進行權力協商的概念也延伸至各個族群，特別是以陳福成為代表的華人少數族群。他未能通過科技重獲權力，突顯了泰國社會的複雜性。我還探討了亞洲身體結構的種族化，特別是在巨牙象和發條女孩中的描繪，這些角色因西方焦慮而被呈現為怪誕且劣等的存在。通過針對白人角色的諷刺描寫，小說表明，沒有任何權力或權威能夠永遠存在。最終，小說揭示了科技進步的矛盾，儘管科技發展，人類依然處於種族不平等的循環中。This thesis examines Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl (2009) through the lens of techno-Orientalism, focusing on its racialized power dynamics and technological advancements. In the story, technology is employed as a means to negotiate power among racial groups. From techno-Orientalist perspective, the novel illustrates the West’s myth of using technology to maintain its global superiority, while exposing its anxieties about losing control of technological advancements. In the story, Thailand as a leader of biotechnology represented through nightshades, Ngaw, and the seedbank disrupts this myth of dominance. Through the uniqueness of the Thai seedbank, Thailand asserts its power, stepping beyond the West’s influence. The idea of using technology to negotiate power extends to ethnic groups, particularly Chinese minorities represented by Hong Seng. His failure to reclaim his power through technology underlines the complexities within Thai society. I also explore the racialization of Asian bodies, especially in megodonts and the windup girls, which are portrayed as grotesque and inferior as a result of Western anxieties. Through the irony of white characters, it shows that no authority is truly permanent. The novel ultimately reveals paradoxical progress that while technology develops, humanity remains in cycles of racial inequality.