Abjection and Horror

The term abjection literally means “the state of being cast off”.

which inherently disturbs conventional identity and cultural concepts.

Violent, obscure revolts.

the abject refers to the human reaction (horror, vomit) to a threatened breakdown in meaning caused by the loss of the distinction between subject and object or between self and other. The primary example for what causes such a reaction is the corpse (which traumatically reminds us of our own materiality); however, other items can elicit the same reaction: the open wound, shit, sewage, even the skin that forms on the surface of warm milk.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *