Abstract

As with all Monsters, the Vampire in fiction has a longstanding tradition of representing social fears and societal issues. The metaphor of conquest begins with the seminal work of the vampire genre, as Dracula signifies fears of ‘reverse colonization’—the idea that immigrants will overtake British culture as their imperial reign weakens. Through analyzing two genre re-defining works of the 21st century Sinners (2025) and the Twilight Saga (2005- 2008), I unpack the varying ways that vampirism represents colonial processes, and how they are interpreted. The themes of assimilation, religious conversion, cultural contamination, and cultural appropriation all find direct parallel in the vampire image. Through analyzing Mormon ideology, Meyer’s Twilight Saga reveals portrayals of indigenaiety and womanhood that serve the inherently colonial Exaltation process through the vampire metaphor. While the Saga becomes a theological justification of coloniality, Sinners intentionally unpacks the use of religious conversion within the colonial project. The depiction of conversion becomes horror when the White Vampire Remmick reveals his Irish identity to the musically-gifted Sammie, understanding religion as a precursor to assimilation that both become cultural vampirism. Through these analyses, the vampiric metaphor of coloniality takes two radically different forms that reveal the same horror: you’ve already invited it in.

Advisor

Garcia, Daimys

Department

English

Disciplines

American Popular Culture | Children's and Young Adult Literature | Literature in English, North America | Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2026 Amelia Galbraith