J.M Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians is an interesting study of the horrors of colonial lifestyle as well as the post colonial idea of the construction of the 'Other'. This presentation explores the theme of namelessness in the novel.

1. The Nameless victims of the Nameless Empire in
Waiting For The Barbarians
By: Prakruti Bhatt

2. The Nameless Empire
An abstract figurehead
“Defines itself and reinforces its identity by constructing a distance from the
Barbarians.”
“Sees itself as a modern state- an evolved version of the ‘primitive’ Barbarians”
Fear as a defining element of this abstract power structure

3. The Nameless Victims
The Nameless Victims include: 1) The Magistrate
2) The Barbarians
3) The Barbarian Girl

4. The Magistrate
The unreliable nameless narrator of the novel
In a strained relationship with the administrative system of the Empire
An example of individual voice of resistance against power
The Magistrate as Coetzee’s ‘man of conscience’

5. The Barbarians
The ‘Other’ of the narrative
The unknown, yet variously defined threat
Reason behind the Empire’s actions of torture and ruthlessness
The binary of the Empire’s civilized lifestyle

6. The Barbarian Girl
The only defining factor of this character is its gender
Her silence can be considered a defining factor
Her conflicting and dynamic relationship with the Magistrate
The victim of double colonization

7. Significance of Namelessness
Name situates a narrative
What the characters and the Empire do is more important than what they are
For the Barbarians and the Barbarian girl, their ‘Otherness’ overshadows any
other marker of identity
The identity of the victims is dependent on the identity of the Empire

8. So What?
Empires continue to flourish with newer forms and names even in the post colonial
era. Coetzee’s novel is therefore relevant even today.
Identity is a performance
Though nameless, the Empire and the characters as well as the narrative at large
provide insight into what it means to be a part of a hierarchical and hegemonic
structure. Especially if you are an ‘Other’

9. Sources
Aytemiz, Pelin. "Victims Of The Empire: An Analysis On Coetzee's Waiting For The Barbarians." 29th
December 2016. worldresearchlibrary.org. web. 23 February 2020.
<http://www.worldresearchlibrary.org/up_proc/pdf/563-14853468026-10.pdf>.