Posthuman Feminism in Michel Faber's Under the Skin and Naomi Alderman's The Power

Abstract

This thesis examines Under the Skin (2000) by Michel Faber and The Power (2016) by Naomi Alderman through the lens of Posthuman Feminism. Featuring non-human female protagonists, these narratives challenge traditional gender roles, speciesism and related power dynamics. By interrogating the limitations of hierarchical frameworks, both novels underscore how binary thinking perpetuates stigma and crisis, underscoring their incompatibility with the embracive, contingent and relational paradigm set forth by Posthuman Feminist theory. Through dystopian narratives that foreground both personal tragedies and global calamities, they demonstrate that reversing these binaries or mapping them onto fluid identities proves equally destructive, as such inversions remain entrenched within the same binaries and hierarchical structures of power. Under the Skin narrates the story of Isserley, an alien who abducts men for consumption, unravelling interactions that question disempowerment and identity across gender and species. Meanwhile, The Power portrays women who gain the ability to emit electrical shocks, overturning global gender dynamics and redefining societal structures. These works disrupt the conventional binaries underpinning Western thought and advocate for a more inclusive understanding of identity, power, and agency in an increasingly convoluted posthuman era by problematising the dualistic understanding of reality. This intersectional approach resonates with contemporary feminist theorists like Rosi Braidotti (1956–), Donna Haraway (1944–), Karen Barad (1956–), whose notions of feminism converge with posthuman theories that emphasise the inclusion of other othered identities. The speculative elements in the novels serve as tools within Posthuman Feminist rhetoric, providing groundwork for such critique. Using this perspective, the novels demonstrate how fiction can serve as a medium for social scrutiny, offering insights into identity and power dynamics within binary structures in a constantly changing reality. The textual analyses reveal how Under the Skin and The Power propose reimaginings of societal roles, prompting a re-evaluation of longstanding dynamics of oppression and empowerment regarding gender and human/non-human dichotomies in light of Posthuman Feminist thought.