The book entitled ‘Elusive Kinship: Disability and Human Rights in Postcolonial Literature’ discusses the presence of ‘disability’ in postcolonial literature with a focus on fiction writers from countries in the global South. The book consists of 6 chapters written by Christopher Krentz, a Professor of English at the University of Virginia who has written several publications on disability. The chapters explore disabled characters in literature and discuss their relationship to human rights issues. The book examines the challenges and struggles faced by disabled people in their quest for justice. In addition, the book emphasizes the role of literature in raising awareness and empathy towards human rights issues. It aims to give meaning to characters disabled people, portray them as individuals with authentic life experiences, and stimulate empathy.
The first chapter explores the relationship that readers build with characters in literature. Krentz examines the potential for a kinship between readers and characters in literary narratives through the application of diverse theories. This analysis explores how literature can elicit a sense of caring or connection among readers towards characters with disabilities. Krentz suggests that through conveying characters’ inner thoughts and evoking readers’ imaginations, literature can make readers care more about characters with disabilities and the issues of injustice they face. In addition, he argues that literary works with disabled characters collectively challenge the general view that trivializes the lives of disabled people.
In the second chapter there is a useful discussion of the complex dynamics between indigenous beliefs and colonial invasion in Chinua Achebe’s novel ‘Things Fall Apart.’ The novel explores themes like tradition vs. modernity, social and cultural shifts, and the impact of colonialism on society and individuals. He also highlights the transformation of women and disabled people in Igbo society due to the arrival of European colonizers, leading to conflicts and instabilities within the community.
Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’, is the focus of the third chapter; this novel features a disabled narrator as the main storyteller. Here, we are shown that the character Saleem has telepathic powers and other special abilities or so-called ‘characters with privileges’ that are not prevalent in society. It is argued that this can impress the idea that individuals with physical disabilities must have special abilities to be respected or given attention, which can imply that they are only valuable if they are exceptional. With that in mind, in this chapter Krentz underlines the importance of engaging in a nuanced and critical examination of disability issues in literature and culture so as not to perpetuate stereotypes or stigmatizing portrayals.
The fourth chapter addresses how metaphors can provide a sense of realism in depicting the experience of disability in literary works. In this context, metaphors are used to describe or represent experiences or feelings associated with disability in a way that makes them more vivid and understandable to the reader. To illustrate this, Krentz looks at Fanon’s perspective in his book ‘Black Skins, White Masks’ which discusses how disabled people are often marginalized or denied equal rights due to societal perceptions and biases.
The importance of empathy and care for characters with disabilities in literature is emphasized in Chapter Five. It discusses the works of three contemporary women writers, Anita Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Edwidge Danticat, who highlight the resilience, courage, and struggles of disabled people. Krentz argues that by showing different facets of the characters’ lives and experiences, these works ultimately improve the lives of those who may be marginalized or stereotyped in literature.
The last chapter focuses on the challenges and complexities surrounding the concept of human rights. In this chapter, Krentz argues that human rights, despite their great benefits, have limitations in their application across a range of challenging social and political situations, such as war, extreme poverty, neoliberalism and environmental disasters. Krentz argues that literature can play an important role in highlighting the experiences of persons with disabilities so as to provide a deeper perspective on how human rights can be applied in challenging situations.
Overall, Krentz undertakes a comprehensive analysis of several classic contemporary works that address the topic of disability in different and innovative ways. He not only analyzes how literature portrays disability, but also connects it to broader human rights issues. His analysis of contemporary classics in literature not only challenges existing prejudices, but also emphasizes value and humanity, encouraging empathy towards disabled people. Krentz sometimes uses language that may be challenging for readers without a specialized background in literature, human rights, disability studies, or postcolonial studies. Nonetheless, this book is a valuable reference for students of literature and academics in disciplines such as literary studies, disability studies, postcolonial studies, and human rights studies.
Overall, the combination of disability studies, Global South studies, and the analysis of power and class structures at the global level is still a relatively rare field of research. However, this book manages to overcome this shortcoming by comprehensively discussing all three. Krentz examines twelve pieces of literature taking place in India, Africa, the Caribbean, or within Caribbean American communities in the United States. The purpose is to explore the concept of disability in regions often referred to as ‘the Global South.'
It is important to note that while this book has provided valuable insights into the experiences of disabled people, there are some areas of research that need to be further explored. For example, future research could delve deeper into how literature and the portrayal of disability can be used as a tool for raising awareness about human rights issues and promoting inclusivity for disabled people. This could offer a more comprehensive examination of how the concepts explored in this book can be practically applied, thereby facilitating tangible progress toward supporting inclusion, improving understanding of disability, and advancing human rights.
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
[email protected]
Aflaz Maosul Kamilah
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Hendra Aprianto
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to LPDP (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan) for supporting the publication of this article.