Subjugated to the Subhuman: The rights of the unhoused and their encampment in Paolo Bacigalupi “The Windup Girl”
By: Andrew Morehead
Abstract
As this article is being written, current laws stripping the unhoused of their rights to public space are being legislated in California where 28% of the unhoused reside. Through the laws being passed in SB-1011 the unhoused are being subjugated into the subhuman, a term in fascist Germany used to strip humans of their right to life. Through the evolution of the Foucaldian theory of Biopower, Giorgio Agamben and Achille Mbembe’s work will illuminate these acts of sanctioned violence through a reading of Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The Windup Girl”. The protagonist Emiko, an illegal cyborg sexworker forced to exist outside of the law, by the hands of the law, who is subjugated to violence and dissimilation of her body constituted by law. Through a bio-political ontology, “The Windup Girl” will be analyzed against the sociological event of homelessness in the United States, revealing a justification of death within the government-regulated divisive encampment of those who fail to meet the function of the state.
Language: English
Published on: Mar 26, 2024
Published by: University of North Georgia
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
© 2024 Andrew Morehead, published by University of North Georgia
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.