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When thinking about decolonizing the English literary curriculum, we must attend to representations of disability. Postcolonial literature contains many depictions of disability that frequently go to the heart of the decolonization process. Whether material, metaphorical, or both, these representations relate to disabled people in the Global South – more than half a billion people – who often live in precarious situations. Moreover, authors deploy disability in their works to explore such consequential matters as colonization, racism and sexism, global capitalism, war, and environmental disaster. As we consider how to decolonize literary studies and to agitate for justice, we must attend to disability alongside other vulnerable identities. As an example, this chapter considers the Nigerian-American author Chris Abani’s memorable novella Song for Night (2007), which depicts a harrowing war that turns out to be the Biafra War in the late 60s in Nigeria. Our narrator is My Luck, a child soldier who has had his vocal cords severed, suggestive of the voicelessness of child soldiers and so many others in the South. My Luck’s story underscores how political decolonization often involves violence, how Northern influence continues after independence, and the humanity of child soldiers and others deeply affected by postcolonial conflict.
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