The Normative I / Eye of the Postcolonial Disability in Octavia Estelle Butler’s “The Evening and the Morning and the Night”

Ramzi, Melika

doi:10.22049/jalda.2025.29800.1697

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Melika Ramzi

PhD Candidate in English Language and Literature, Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2025.29800.1697

Abstract

Differently formed bodies are treated as negatively marginalized in ableist, normative societies that intend to homogenize them. This study explores the intersection of postcolonial theory and disability studies through an analysis of Octavia E. Butler’s (1991) short story entitled “The Evening and the Morning and the Night” (2001). The main objective of this study is to address the problem of societal marginalization and control mechanisms applied to disabled individuals, analogous to colonial oppression. The research methodically develops the argument by first outlining the societal unease and stigmatization of disabled bodies, comparing it to racism and colonialism. It then examines Lynn’s journey and her experiences at Dilg, highlighting how the facility’s operation mirrors colonial control systems. The findings suggest that Butler’s narrative deconstructs the binary opposition between healthy (non-DGD) and unhealthy (DGD), presenting a hybrid identity that challenges dominant societal norms. Major conclusions show that the story critiques the social structures that label and control differently formed bodies, emphasizing the fluidity of disability and the complex interactions between power, identity, and autonomy. Finally, the results contribute to the broader discourse by demonstrating how science fiction can be a powerful medium for social commentary, indicating the dynamic nature of disability that resists a static, limiting definition.

Keywords

Main Subjects

3. Applied Literature

Article Title [Persian]

مفهوم منِ هنجارمند در ناتوانی پسااستعماری در داستان کوتاه «غروب و صبح و شب» اثر اوکتاویا ای. باتلر

Author [Persian]

ملیکا رمزی

دانشجوی دکتری زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران، ایران

Abstract [Persian]

جامعه‌های توانمندگرا و هنجارمند به دنبال یک‌دست‌کردن بدن‌های اقلیتی و متفاوت با خود هستند. پژوهش حاضر به بررسی نقش هم‌آمدن نظریۀ پسااستعماری و مطالعات ناتوانی در داستان کوتاه «غروب و صبح و شب» اثر اوکتاویا ای. باتلر می‌پردازد. هدف اصلی این مقاله واکاوی مسئلۀ اقلیتی‌بودن در اجتماع و رویکرد‌های کنترلی است که - مشابه سرکوب استعماری - در این داستان کوتاه بر افراد ناتوان اعمال می‌شود. ابتدا، ناامنی اجتماعی و بدنامی بدن‌های ناتوان آن‌ها با نژادپرستی و استعمار مقایسه می‌شوند. سپس، بررسی بازدید لین و تجربه‌های او در دیلگ نشان می‌دهند که چگونه کارکرد این مرکز نمایان‌گر نظام‌های کنترلی استعمارگر است. یافته‌های پژوهش نشان می‌دهند که روایت باتلر ساختار دوگانه میان سالم (غیر دی. جی. دی) و ناسالم (دی. جی. دی) را تجزیه می‌کند و هویتی دوگانه را ارائه می‌دهد که ساختار غالب جامعه را متزلزل می‌کند. یافته‌های پژوهش نشان می‌دهند که این داستان ساختارهای اجتماعی که بدن‌های متفاوت را کدگذاری می‌کنند نقد می‌کند و بر سیال‌بودن ناتوانی و تعامل‌های پیچیده میان قدرت، هویت، و خودمختاری تأکید دارد. در نهایت، یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهند که چگونه داستانی علمی-تخیلی می‌تواند رسانه‌ای تأثیرگزار برای تفسیر دغدغه‌های اجتماعی باشد، تا به گفتمان‌های گسترده‌تر و ذات پویای ناتوانی - که در برابر تعریف ثابت و محدود مقاومت می‌کند - کمک ‌کند.

Keywords [Persian]

توانمندگرایی
مطالعات ناتوانی
هویت دوگانه
نظریۀ پسااستعماری
کنترل اجتماعی

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Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Dynamics and Advances

The Normative I / Eye of the Postcolonial Disability in Octavia Estelle Butler’s “The Evening and the Morning and the Night”

References

References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 28 January 2025

The Normative I / Eye of the Postcolonial Disability in Octavia Estelle Butler’s “The Evening and the Morning and the Night”

References

References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript Available Online from 28 January 2025

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 28 January 2025