by Jessica Sciubba

This article explores the trajectories of moral and bodily abjection in Rhoda by Igiaba Scego. Drawing principally on Judith Butler’s theory of social abjection and on her critique of the heteronormative discourse, this article identifies the importance of the heteronormative imperative in the shaping of gender roles and points at the abject status acquired by those identities that do not conform to this norm. The complexity of Rhoda’s relationship with her body and with her sexuality represents a key point in the further developments of her abjectifying trajectory;