Mapping Identities in Lauren Beukes’s (Re)Imagined Cities

Abstract

Abstract This article connects theories of otherness with urban studies in order to map out interpretive routes in Lauren Beukes's fiction. The article discusses notions of identity and space, underlining how they relate to Beukes's writings. By focusing on definitions of otherness, it examines who the Other is in Beukes's novels. Moreover, by concentrating on urban dynamics, the article analyses city forms as represented in fictional works. The article also argues that Beukes's detective and science fiction novels are more than popular literature, as they maintain a balance between the entertaining function of these genres and the exploration of salient issues in the contemporary world, such as racial and gender issues, the banalisation of violence and media coverage, and, last but not least, acknowledging otherness.