Colonialism in Avatar the Last Airbender (2024)

Abstract

[eng] Avatar The Last Airbender (2024) is a live-action series set in a time of war. The plot pivots around Aang, a young boy known to be the Avatar and the only one who can restore balance to the world; and focuses on how he manages to do it. This project examines how the conflict between nations is portrayed in the series from a colonial perspective, as the conflict centers on the imperialistic ideas of the Fire Nation, which enforces its supremacy through oppression, extortion, and genocide, among other types of violent practices. The main questions of this essay are whether the series critically portrays colonialism and whether it is different from the original show. This paper aims to analyse colonialism in the series, through the identification and interpretation of the instances where and how it is portrayed in comparison to the original cartoon show. Through the close reading of various scenes from both versions of the show, we will be able to determine how the newest production of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" examines and represents colonial practices in a more critical and explicit way than in the original series, adapting it to the needs of today's society. As a way of doing that, the scenes have been divided into three sections, focused on different colonial practices: genocide; oppression, and the characters’ resistance to it. By being divided and examined this way, the result of the study will help to conclude that the show features various colonial practices in a more critical manner than the original show and that colonialism plays an active role in the unfolding of the series.