DISABILITY AS AN ALLEGORY OF COLONIALISM IN J.M. COETZEE’S FOE

Authors : Ersoy Gümüş

Pages : 90-102

Doi:10.15182/diclesosbed.1526154

View : 58 | Download : 41

Publication Date : 2025-02-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This paper explores the use of disability as an allegory for colonialism and its consequences in J.M. Coetzee\\\'s novel Foe. By referring to colonial and postcolonial literary criticism, the study claims that disability is used allegorically to represent the broader silencing and marginalization of colonized peoples. It also investigates how Coetzee underscores the erasure of the colonized voice and identity through physical and psychological violence which results in disability. The analysis also delves into the relationship between the metaphorical colonizer and the disabled colonized, the former of which perpetuates the suppression of latter’s autonomy and cultural expression by making use of the colonized’s disability to justify the colonizer’s violent acts. Besides, by framing disability within postcolonial criticism, the study reveals the intricate power dynamics and dehumanization inherent in colonial contexts. Thus, the paper ultimately attempts to show how Coetzee\\\'s Foe uses disability to critique colonialism, illustrating the profound and lasting impact of colonial oppression on individual and collective identities.
Keywords : engellilik, sömürgecilik, postkolonyalizm, J.M. Coetzee, Foe