Open Access
American Research Journal of English and Literature
ISSN (Online): 2378-9026
DOI: 10.46568/arjel
Space in the Post-Apocalyptic Genre
Abstract
Western post-apocalyptic narratives project a world in which historical and geographical realities are fractured, as they
both deny and wield the experiences of colonized and post-colonial populations. This structural appropriation focuses
on a Western vision where the notion of space is recreated into new areal boundaries in which native geographies are
obscured. A comparison of Western and North American Indigenous post-apocalyptic fictions shows a dichotomy between
the nation-state and Indigenous governance as well as a ruptured vision of land property separating nature and culture,
and finally a divided notion of homelessness and sense of place. The Indigenous discourses embrace contemporary issues
as they focus on futurity, while Western scenarios are enrooted in colonial assumptions and structural appropriation.
