Imagined Identity and Human Rights in the Post-pandemic World of Lauren Beukes’s Afterland

The article concerns itself with representative readers’ responses to Afterland by Lauren Beukes. In line Beukes’s reputation, the novel has received acclaim. However, other readers have noted lacunae and negative representations that can fruitfully be viewed from perspective of a hermeneutics suspicion, which allows for an analysis affective sensibility text, human rights framework, emphasises all humans’ right equality freedom prejudice. world Afterland, featuring aftermath death most people prostates, offers opportunity dramatically reconceptualised gender roles behaviours, possibility experience effects transportation into narrative alleviation out-group anxiety. Such processes allow prejudice reduction increase in empathy. Through close reading sections novel, focusing particularly on instance transgender, I note fails figure transgender as through its lacunae. Other gender, sexuality and, some extent, race is also at variance need increased vigilance about marginalised at-risk individuals during pandemic. Opsomming Die artikel gemoeid met verteenwoordigende lesers se reaksies op deur ooreenstemming Beukes reputasie die roman toejuiging begroet. Ander het egter leemtes en negatiewe voorstellings opgemerk, wat sukses beskou kan word vanuit perspektief van ’n hermeneutiek agterdog, ontleding affektiewe ontvanklikheid teks moontlik maak; sowel menseregteraamwerk, klem lê reg alle mense tot gelykheid vryheid vooroordeel. wêreld gekenmerk nadraai dood meeste prostaat het, bied geleentheid vir dramaties gerekonseptualiseerde geslagsrolle -gedrag, moontlikheid om uitwerkings transportasie verhaal verligting buite-groep-angs te ervaar. Sodanige prosesse maak vermindering vooroordele toename empatie moontlik. Deur gedeeltes deeglik lees veral geval fokus, merk ek dat nie daarin slaag transgender-regte menseregte uit beeld sy nie. seksualiteit en, mate, ras, ook strydig behoefte aan verhoogde waaksaamheid oor regte gemarginaliseerdes individue gevaar verkeer tydens pandemie.