A Zombie Apocalypse: Opening Representa­ tional Spaces for Alternative Constructions of Gender and Sexuality

Abstract

Zombies have become an increasingly common figure in contemporary cultural landscapes around the world and South Africa is no exception. While scholars have tended to shy away from engaging with post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, this has started to change as it became apparent that these texts offer rich possibilities for exploring alternative constructions of gender and sexuality. In the aftermath of an apocalypse, most forms of social organisation and ideological constructions are decimated and survivors are able to imagine new ways of constructing sexual and gender identities as they go about reconstituting their social worlds. By means of a feminist literary analysis of Lily Herne's Dead/ands (2011) and Death of a Saint (2012), this article explores whether these zombie texts successfully capitalise on the post-apocalyptic social ruptures in terms of their representations of gender and sexuality. It emerges that, although the texts do suggest alternative constructions, they also reinscribe and reify traditional patriarchal and heteronormative binaries.

Opsomming
Zombies word al hoe meer algemeen in eietydse kulturele produkte aangetref. Die toenemende gewildheid van die zombie-figuur is 'n wereldwye verskynsel, en Suid­Afrika is geen uitsondering nie. Navorsers was geneig om weg te skram van post­apokaliptiese zombie-fiksie. Dit het egter begin verander soos dit algaande duidelik geword het dat hierdie tekste 'n rykdom moontlikhede bied vir die verkenning van alternatiewe konstruksies van gender en seksualiteit. Na die apokalips is die meeste vorme van sosiale organisasie en ideologiese konstruksies vernietig, en oor­lewendes kan dus nuwe maniere bedink om seksuele en gender-identiteite te konstrueer terwyl hulle hul sosiale werelde herbou. Deur middel van 'n feministiese letterkundige analise van Lily Herne se Dead/ands (2011) en Death of a Saint (2012), verken hierdie artikel of die zombie-romans daarin slaag om die post-apokaliptiese ontwrigting te benut in terme van hul uitbeelding van gender en seksualiteit. Dit blyk dat, alhoewel die tekste alternatiewe konstruksies voorstel, hulle steeds ook tradisionele patriargale en heteronormatiewe binere konstruksies in stand hou.