Neuroplastic narratives under scrutiny: A critical medical humanities investigation of brain adaptation, psychosocial stressors, and gendered subjectivities in contemporary speculative fiction

  • Hamed Jamalpour English Language and Literature Department, Karaj Islamic Azad University, Karaj 3149968111, Iran
  • Zahra Jamalpour Medicine Department, Alborz University of Medical Science, Karaj 3198764653, Iran
  • Manzar Feiz Comparative Literature Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75080, USA
Article ID: 2875
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/cf2875
Keywords: neuroplasticity; critical medical humanities; speculative fiction; psychosocial stressors; gendered subjectivities; neuroscience; structural inequities; late capitalism

Abstract

This article examines the intersection of neuroscience and literature through a critical medical humanities lens, focusing on how contemporary speculative fiction depicts neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt, in relation to psychosocial stressors and gendered experiences. By exploring narratives that critique neuroscientific perspectives, highlight structural inequalities, and reimagine gendered experiences of neurological resilience and vulnerability, the study underscores speculative fiction’s ability to challenge dominant biomedical frameworks. It emphasizes the genre’s role in bringing sociocultural dimensions of brain adaptation to the forefront, fostering connections between scientific exploration and humanistic critique, and opening pathways for interdisciplinary dialogue.

Published
2025-04-15
How to Cite
Jamalpour, H., Jamalpour, Z., & Feiz, M. (2025). Neuroplastic narratives under scrutiny: A critical medical humanities investigation of brain adaptation, psychosocial stressors, and gendered subjectivities in contemporary speculative fiction. Cultural Forum , 2(1), 2875. https://doi.org/10.59400/cf2875
Issue
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025)
Section
Article

Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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