Found Families and the Post-Atomic Future.docx

A consistent trope in science fiction and fantasy is the found family, thrown together by chance, bonded by hardship, and united by an emergent connection of respect. Early genre fiction highlighted nuclear-family models, but stories of familial relationships among non-biologically related people have become increasingly prevalent. This reflects research that suggests an interplay between marginalized audiences and genre fiction. It also intersects with anarchist theories of mutual aid, which plays a vital role in marginalized communities. This paper draws from broad sources, including psychological studies into family systems theory, anarchist power dynamics, research into lived examples of mutual aid, and numerous examples of fictional found families. Ultimately, this paper suggests that genre depictions of non-nuclear families tap into an instinctual tendency toward mutual aid, which then creates flourishing conditions for more complex chosen families to emerge in the real world.