Disability and Dystopia
Challenging Literary and Psychological Conceptions of Human Embodiment Through the Lens of Interdependence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22008331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Audrey Peterman, Mich Yonah Nyawalo (0000-0001-6613-662X), Mich Nyawalo |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 294-321 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Interdisciplinary Literary Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2161-427X • E-ISSN: 1524-8429 |
| Publisher | The Pennsylvania State University Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5325/intelitestud.27.3.0294 |
| OpenAlex | W4413983070 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
This paper explores literary and psychological frameworks that contribute to conceptualizations of human embodiment—particularly the physical body and identity—in relation to disability. Novel analyses of Octavia Butler’s “Speech Sounds” and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake from a disability perspective attempt to bridge the gaps in dystopian and psychological literature in order to emphasize the need for reimagining disability as a construct, and thus advocate for further interdisciplinary research that challenges traditional notions of bodily perfection. The paper provides an introduction into disability, dystopia, and Butler’s and Atwood’s texts to establish the historicity of disability theory. It also highlights the psychological effects of pathologizing disability, and the dangers behind the connection between scientific advancement, standards of expected bodily behavior, and exploitation. By discussing the value of interaction between varying levels of ability, the paper argues against ableist views of independence and promotes a reformed understanding of human interdependence. Overall, the paper advocates for rejecting the pathologization of disability, embracing diverse forms of embodiment, and ensuring protections for individuals who experience disablism
Aesthetics · Art · Dystopia · Epistemology · Literature · Optics · Physics · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Through-the-lens metering · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Philosophy · Psychology
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Eugenic Nostalgia
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Science Fiction’s Imagined Futures and Powerful Protests
Is Inclusion a Civic Virtue
Perceived discrimination and health
The Constitution of Impairment
From Nerds to Normals
Can disability studies and psychology join hands
Discrimination Hurts
Wounded Attachments
Octavia Butler's Disabled Futures
Dystopian literature and the sociological imagination
Questioning Interdisciplinarity
Disability Identity and Attitudes Toward Cure in a Sample of Disabled Activists
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |