Nuruddin Farah is widely regarded as one of the most sophisticated
voices in contemporary world literature. Michel Foucault is revered as
one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century, with his
discursive legacy providing inspiration for scholars working in a range
of interdisciplinary fields. The Disorder of Things offers a reading of
the Somali novelist through the prism of the French philosopher. The
book argues that the preoccupations that have remained central
throughout Farah's forty year career, including political autocracy,
female infibulation, border conflicts, international aid and
development, civil war, transnational migration and the Horn of Africa's
place in a so-called 'axis of evil', can be mapped onto some key
concerns in Foucault's writing most notably Foucault's theoretical turn
from 'disciplinary' to 'biopolitical' power. In both the colonial past
and the postcolonial present, Somalia is typically represented as an
incubator of disorder: whether in relation to internecine conflict,
international terrorism or contemporary piracy. Through his work, both
fictional and non-fictional, Farah strives to present alternative
stories to an expanding global readership. The Disorder of Things
analyses the politics and poetics that underpin this literary project,
beginning with Farah's first fictional cycle, Variations on the Theme of
an African Dictatorship (1979-1983), and ending with his Past Imperfect
trilogy (2004-2011). Farah's writing calls for a more refined,
substantial reading of our current geo-political situation. As such, it
both warrants and compels the kind of critical engagement foregrounded
throughout The Disorder of Things. This book will appeal to students,
academics and general readers with an interest in the interdisciplinary
study of literature. Its engagement with theorists, drawn from
postcolonial, feminist and development studies, set against the backdrop
of a host of philosophical and sociological discourses, shows how such
intellectual cross-fertilisation can enliven a single-author study.
