Growing Beyond Fiction: Solarpunk as an Ethos of Care

Abstract

This thesis explores the intersection of care theory, a branch of feminist ethics that emphasizes relationality, responsiveness, and the moral significance of care, with the emerging aesthetic and political movement of solarpunk. Care theory challenges traditional ethical frameworks by focusing on interdependence, context, and the transformative role of emotions. Meanwhile, solarpunk, originating as a science fiction subgenre and expanding into a broader social imaginary, envisions sustainable futures grounded in environmental stewardship, technological innovation, and post-capitalist forms of cooperation. I argue that solarpunk not only embodies the central themes of care ethics but also extends them by offering a practical, imaginative, and mobilizing ethos for contemporary political and environmental challenges. Through an interdisciplinary methodology, this project demonstrates how solarpunk’s narratives and practices can respond to critiques of care ethics. Finally, by analyzing the figure of the cyborg as developed in feminist theory and reinterpreted through solarpunk, I contend that the cyborg operates as a metaphorical caregiver—dissolving boundaries between human, technology, and environment—thereby expanding the ontology of care itself. In doing so, this thesis positions solarpunk as a vital and actionable framework for imagining and enacting a livable, care-centered world.