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Dismembering and re-membering in J.M. Coetzee's selected fiction: a decolonial approach

Text in English / Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu / The present study deploys Ngugi wa Thiongo’s (2009) decolonial concepts of
dismembering and re-membering to critically explore J. M Coetzee’s selected fiction. In
my reading of the novels Waiting for the Barbarians, Foe and Disgrace, I relate
concepts of dismembering and re-membering to decoloniality. In the rendition of Ngugi,
dismembering refers to the displacement and dispossession of the colonised, and their
mental colonisation through cultural imperialism. Re-membering becomes the
decolonial effort to undo physical and psychological dismembering. In the same way in
which, since the Berlin Conference of 1884/5, Africa was divided, mapped and
colonised, the cultures and histories of Africans were dismembered and dominated.
Concerns for the land are expressed in the mapping and the confiscation of land which
is depicted in the native’s desert dwellings in Waiting for the Barbarians, Cruso’s
clearing of the land in Foe and Petrus’s taking over of Lucy’s farm in Disgrace.
Furthermore, Coetzee’s use of language is one important narrative strategy that is
explored to ascertain how Coetzee negates or speaks for, of and about the colonised
through the narrator focaliser. This study reveals the reflexive nature of the selected
novels and seeks answers to the question of why Coetzee tends to make his “black”
characters voiceless and rootless (and sometimes nameless)? Is Coetzee suggesting
that they have been silenced by history, by colonialism, or is he suggesting that he, the
author, has no right to speak on their behalf? In the mode of writing and story-telling, is
Coetzee suggesting the impossibility of the coloniser to speak for the colonised or, in
speaking of them, does he give the servant characters a voice and can this voice be
theirs, or can it be considered reliable? Is Coetzee presenting the power of passivity as
a means of resistance and re-membering? This study, from a decolonial perspective,
engages with the complex way Coetzee handles voice and the question of the agency
of the colonised. / Hierdie studie benut Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (2009) se dekoloniale begrippe van verdeling en
herindeling in ʼn kritiese beskouing van J. M. Coetzee se geselekteerde fiksie. In my
vertolking van die romans Waiting for the Barbarians, Foe en Disgrace, bring ek die
begrippe van verdeling en herindeling in verband met dekolonialisme. In Ngũgĩ se vertolking
verwys verdeling na die verplasing en onteiening van die gekoloniseerdes, en hul geestelike
kolonisering deur kulturele imperialisme. Herindeling word die dekoloniale poging om
fisiese en sielkundige herindeling ongedaan te maak. Op dieselfde manier wat Afrika verdeel,
gekarteer en gekoloniseer is sedert die Berlynse Konferensie van 1884/5, is Afrikane se
kulture en geskiedenisse verdeel en gedomineer. Kommer oor die grond word te kenne gegee
in die kartering en konfiskering van grond – soos uitgebeeld in die boorling se
woestynverblyf in Waiting for the Barbarians, Cruso se opruiming van die grond in Foe en
Petrus se oorname van Lucy se plaas in Disgrace. Verder is Coetzee se taalgebruik ʼn
belangrike verhalende strategie wat bestudeer word om vas te stel hoe Coetzee die
gekoloniseerde ontken of vir, van en oor die gekoloniseerde praat deur middel van die
verteller/fokaliseerder. Hierdie studie openbaar die refleksiewe aard van die geselekteerde
romans en soek vir antwoorde op die vraag van waarom Coetzee geneig is om sy “swart”
karakters stemloos en wortelloos (en soms, naamloos) te maak. Suggereer Coetzee dat hulle
deur die geskiedenis, deur kolonialisme, stilgemaak is – of suggereer hy dat hy, die outeur,
nie die reg het om namens hulle te praat nie? Wil Coetzee deur sy manier van skryf en
vertelling, aan die hand doen dat dit onmoontlik is dat die koloniseerder vir die
gekoloniseerde kan praat; of, wanneer hy van hulle praat, gee hy aan die dienaarkarakters ʼn
stem en kan dit hulle stem wees, of kan dit as betroubaar beskou word? Hou Coetzee die
kraag van passiwiteit voor as ʼn vorm van weerstand en herindeling? Hierdie studie
ondersoek, vanuit ʼn dekoloniale perspektief, die komplekse wyse waarop Coetzee stem en
die vraag van die tussenkoms van die gekoloniseerde hanteer. / Ucwaningo lwamanje luchitha imiqondo ka-Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (2009) yokuqothula
nokujoyina kabusha ukungabuswa ngelinye izwe ekuhloliseni ngokucophelela ukuqamba
okukhethiwe kukaJ.M. Coetzee. Ekufundeni kwami amanoveli i-Waiting for the Barbarians,
Foe and Disgrace, ngichaza imiqondo yokuqothula futhi ukujoyina kabusha ekungabusweni
ngelinye izwe. Ekuhumusheni kuka-Ngũgĩ, ukuqothula kubhekisela ekufudukeni
nasekuthunjweni kwalabo ababuswa ngelinye izwe, kanye nengqondo yabo ekubusweni
ngelinye izwe ngokusebenzisa imiphakathi yamasiko. Ukujoyina kabusha kuba wumzamo
wokungabuswa ngelinye izwe ukulungisa ukuqothula kokukhubazeka ngokomzimba
nangokwengqondo. Ngendlela efanayo lapho i-Afrika ihlukaniswe ngakhona, ihlelwe
ibalazwe futhi ibuzwa ngelinye izwe kusukela kwiNgqungquthela yaseBerlin ka 1884/5,
amasiko kanye nemilando yabantu base-Afrika yaqothulwa futhi yabuswa. Ukukhathazeka
kwezwe kuboniswa ebalazweni nasekuthunjweni komhlaba - njengoba kuboniswe
ezindaweni zokuhlala zasogwadule ku- Waiting for the Barbarians, ku-Cruso ukuhlanzwa
komhlaba-enovelini i-Foe nakuPetrus ukuthatha ipulazi likaLucy enovelini i-Disgrace.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukusetshenziswa kolimi lukaCoetzee kuyisisindo esisodwa esibalulekile
sokulandisa esihlolisiswayo ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuthi uCozezee uphikisa kanjani noma
ukhuluma kanjani, futhi mayelana nababuswa ngelinye izwe ngokusebenzisa umlandisi. Lolu
cwaningo lwembula uhlobo oluthile lokucabanga lwamanoveli akhethiwe futhi lufuna
izimpendulo embuzweni wokuthi kungani uCoetzee ejwayele ukwenza "abalingisi" bakhe
abamnyama bengabonakali futhi bangenasisekelo (futhi ngezinye izikhathi abangenalo
igama). Ingabe uCoetzee uphakamisa ukuthi baye bathuliswa ngumlando, ngukubuswa
ngelinye izwe, noma ingabe uphakamisa ukuthi yena, umbhali, akanalo ilungelo
lokukhuluma egameni labo? Ngendlela yokubhala nokuxoxa ngezindaba, ingabe uCoetzee
uphakamisa ukuthi akunakwenzeka ukuba obusa elinye izwe akhulumele ababuswayo kulelo
zwe noma, uma ekhuluma ngabo, uyabanika abalingiswa abayinceku izwi futhi leli zwi
lingaba ngelabo, noma lingathathwa njengelethembekile? Ingabe uCoetzee uveza amandla
okungahambisani njengendlela yokumelana nokujoyina kabusha? Lolu cwaningo, kusukela
embonweni wokungabuswa ngelinye izwe, luhambisana nendlela eyinkimbinkimbi uCoetzee
alawula izwi kanye nombuzo wokumela ababuswayo. / English Studies / M.A. (Theory of Literature: (English Studies))

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/25708
Date01 1900
CreatorsNdumiso, Ncube
ContributorsNorthover, Richard Alan
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeDissertation
Format1 online resource (vi, 143 leaves), application/pdf

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