Otherness in Coetzee's “waiting for the Barbarians”

Abstract EN

The present work investigates the representation of otherness in the South African writer J.M.

Coetzee’s novel.

the chosen literary work being under study is the novel “waiting for the barbarians” (1980).

the aim of the present research is exploring the trilateral relationship between literature, philosophy and psychology.

the investigation first outlines the psychological theory of otherness.

then, it tackles the philosophical theory of Hegel based on the dialectic of the master and the slave.

the next step would be the discussion of the potential relation existing between Hegel’s dialectic and the other / self relation representing otherness.

the novel “waiting for the barbarians” published in 1980 represents the mirror reflecting the trilateral relation through Coetzee's vision of the opposition established in South Africa on the political, social and cultural level.

he represents both theories in his novel through the characters of his story who confirm the presence of master self / other slave relationship living in a colonial era retelling the horror and the hardships of the South African history.