∞ = Δ (God is Change): Deconstructing/Reconstructing Disability in Octavia Butler's Afro-Futurisms

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Date

2020

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Abstract

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower is a piece in which the affordances of the Afro-futuristic genre grants disabled and minority identities the ability to be imagined anew. This is especially pertinent when considering that black disability is central to Butler’s novel, as evidenced by the protagonist’s disabled status. This protagonist, in creating “Earthseed,” a religious following in Post-Apocalyptic America, integrates the metaphysical qualities of her disability within the very framework of society itself. The infusion of disability awareness and social construction is mirrored in disability and crip discourses. Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower is thus a novel that centers black women’s disability and highlights its potential for success within developing social build and progression.

Description

Electronic Thesis or Dissertation

Keywords

Afrofuturism, Disability

Citation