Reclaiming Apocalypse: Representation of Neurodiversity in Apocalyptic Fiction

Pope, Morgan Robin (2023). Reclaiming Apocalypse: Representation of Neurodiversity in Apocalyptic Fiction. University of Birmingham. M.A.

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Abstract

This thesis treats the apocalypse as a site of queer potential. Defining queerness as José Esteban Muñoz does, as a utopian “doing” or “striving” towards alternative ways of being, I argue that the apocalypse presents a concept through which to disrupt what is “normal,” sequential and linear, and imagine alternative, queer futurities. In mainstream apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, the dis-order of the apocalypse poses a challenge to survivors: whether or not they can ‘salvage’ the remnants of their pre-apocalypse life. Yet, I argue, from the collapse of existing structures of civilisation and sociality arises potential for alternative ways of being with the world that are more sustainable, cosmopolitan and inclusive. In this thesis, I explore how three authors engage with apocalypse as a catalyst for change, radical hope and resistance against established, repressive institutions. My authors address the conventional, Darwinist trends of survival and liberate their protagonists from these normative logics, queerly striving towards alternative futures. Octavia Butler (she/her), Corinne Duyvis (she/her) and Rivers Solomon (they/them and fae/faer) all portray dominant narratives of survival as relying on colonial, imperial discourses which story epistemic authority, human purpose, and agency as accessible only to a privileged few. This thesis explores these approaches through the lens of three overarching themes: the survival narrative, locating and navigating apocalypse, and imagining alternative futurities. I argue that exploring apocalypse as ideology, space, temporality and futurity provides a broad basis from which to subvert the key functions of apocalyptic thinking in popular culture and redefine apocalypse from a Black, neurologically queer perspective.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.A.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.A.

Supervisor(s):