DIJ researcher Carolin Fleischer-Heininger will give a presentation on her latest research on representations of disabilities in contemporary Japanese literature at the 12th Alter Conference ‘Disability Research for the Real World’ at KU Leuven on July 5. Her presentation “Transgression as emancipation: Redefining disability in Hanchibakku (2023) by Ichikawa Saō” analyzes disabilities in the short novel Hanchibakku with particular regard to interpersonal relations, sexuality and natality. She shows how dependencies that are often a formative experience in disabled people’s lives get outlined and discusses the protagonist’s desire to become pregnant and abort the unborn child as an articulation of tensions regarding dominant perceptions about disabled people and their lives. Carolin’s presentation demonstrates that the novel encourages reflections about imbalances and indicates the possibility of revising current realities and working towards a more humane future. Details and programme here