The Embodiment of the Post-human Child in Malayalam Films

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2023.590

Keywords:

child, post-human, trauma, films, childhood, Kerala

Abstract

The adult-child binary positions the child in a developmental process toward rationality attained through becoming an adult. The child is not considered a ‘whole human’ or given the status of an ‘individual’ in a social context, as seen in the representations of child and childhood in Malayalam films. This study aims to analyze the post-human identity of children in films focusing on how social and cultural systems are portrayed in the selected films titled Manjadikuru (2008), Keshu (2009), and Philips and the Monkey Pen (2013). The article intends to problematize the inequalities, biases, and lack of agency experienced by the post-human child and argues against awarding humanist identity to the child and childhood(s).

Author Biographies

Rona Reesa Kurian, Research Scholar

Rona Reesa Kurian is a doctoral candidate at the National Institute of Technology Calicut, India. Her major research interests include Childhood Studies, Children’s Literature and Films, Postwar Literature, and Posthumanism

Dr. Preeti Navaneeth, Assistant Professor

Dr. Preeti Navaneeth is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Technology Calicut, where she teaches courses in Literature and the English language. Her teaching and research career spans over 22 years. Her research interests are Postcolonial studies, Posthumanism, Aboriginal Studies, and Childhood Studies. She has served as a subject expert for government projects and educational institutions.

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Published

2023-12-20

How to Cite

Kurian, R. R., & Preeti Navaneeth. (2023). The Embodiment of the Post-human Child in Malayalam Films. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 11(2), 446–473. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2023.590

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2023): Winter

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Articles

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