The very best AU I've seen done, in a time-period which has racism and sexism liek whoa and where most people (of the time) wouldn't have thought twice about it, is kristen999 and everybetty's "Long Ago (And Far Away)".
Stargate Atlantis AU, gen, team-focused: John, Rodney, Ronon, and Teyla in Papua New Guinea, early 1940s in the midst of WWII.
One would think there's no way to get a half-black woman and a man with Hawaiian ancestry into a story about WWII American pilots, right? WRONG.
Both Teyla and Ronon have their own parts to play in the story - the writers deliberately and carefully included them in the plots, gave them reasons and background and agency, all the while still retaining the broader prejudices of the time period.
If you want an example of How To Do It Right, this is probably as close as it's going to get. The reason it doesn't get 100% from me is because Teyla - rather than being an African-American woman, is a Papuan-Australian woman, which could be seen as tying into the All Brown People Are Interchangeable trope - and will for some of the less cluey. On the other hand, there's no call for a half-African woman in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, while there is the possibility and potential of a half-Papuan/half-white woman.
I call it 'licence to include Teyla in the story' and it doesn't bother me. I'd rather have her in the story with a different racial type than not in the story at all, like far too many other AUs where the authors couldn't be arsed to do the research that would include her (or Ronon) in roles that gave them agency and inclusion in the plot.
And on top of all that...it's a FANTASTIC read. So, WIN all around.
no subject
Stargate Atlantis AU, gen, team-focused: John, Rodney, Ronon, and Teyla in Papua New Guinea, early 1940s in the midst of WWII.
One would think there's no way to get a half-black woman and a man with Hawaiian ancestry into a story about WWII American pilots, right? WRONG.
Both Teyla and Ronon have their own parts to play in the story - the writers deliberately and carefully included them in the plots, gave them reasons and background and agency, all the while still retaining the broader prejudices of the time period.
If you want an example of How To Do It Right, this is probably as close as it's going to get. The reason it doesn't get 100% from me is because Teyla - rather than being an African-American woman, is a Papuan-Australian woman, which could be seen as tying into the All Brown People Are Interchangeable trope - and will for some of the less cluey. On the other hand, there's no call for a half-African woman in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, while there is the possibility and potential of a half-Papuan/half-white woman.
I call it 'licence to include Teyla in the story' and it doesn't bother me. I'd rather have her in the story with a different racial type than not in the story at all, like far too many other AUs where the authors couldn't be arsed to do the research that would include her (or Ronon) in roles that gave them agency and inclusion in the plot.
And on top of all that...it's a FANTASTIC read. So, WIN all around.