Space Mining and the Legal Frontiers of Imperialism: A Postcolonial Critique Using the Novel Dune
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This paper analyzes how science fiction, using Frank Herbert's Dune as a case study, reflects on and critiques the imperialist and neo-extractivist ideologies underpinning emerging space governance. Drawing on postcolonial theory and TWAIL, it examines how narratives of colonial conquest, resource extraction, and resistance in fiction mirror real-world space policies. Dune's "spice" serves as an analogy for resource plunder and geopolitical dominance within contemporary debates on space neo-extractivism. The study argues that treaties like the Artemis Accords and private space mining ventures risk perpetuating historical patterns of economic and political subjugation, favoring technologically advanced nations and corporations. By integrating dialectical literary analysis with TWAIL and Marxism, the paper reveals the ideological underpinnings of international space law and questions its potential to replicate Earth's colonial past. The findings underscore the urgent need for interdisciplinary dialogue to ensure equitable and just space exploration, preventing it from becoming another frontier for imperial expansion and resource-driven inequalities.
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