Power and Representation: An Intersectional Feminist Analysis of J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace

Abstract

J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace is a complex, ambiguous novel that has been hailed for its portrayal of the erosion of white, male privilege in post-apartheid South Africa, and criticised as perpetuating racist stereotypes. Looking at Disgrace from an intersectional feminist perspective, which takes into account multiple areas of oppression, reveals that there is truth in both the praise and criticism. Although the novel clearly shows that its protagonist no longer has the power and privilege he used to have, its use of racist and sexist tropes, such as the rape of a white woman by a group of black men, makes it impossible to truly call Disgrace a feminist novel.