The Fragile Boundaries of Power: Imperial Violence and the Ethics of Suffering in Waiting for the Barbarians

Abstract

The frontier in J.M. Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians is not merely a boundary between empire and wilderness; it is a fluid, unstable space where power and morality are tested, and identity unravels. As the Magistrate distances himself from the imperial order, he confronts the fragility of civilization and the ethical void at its core. The empire's escalating paranoia transforms the town into a breeding ground for fear and suspicion, where violence is rationalized, and suffering becomes both inflicted and ignored. Coetzee's sparse, detached prose mirrors the emotional and psychological detachment that enables the empire's machinery to function. In Waiting for the Barbarians, Coetzee rejects the spectacle of suffering, compelling readers to grapple with the ethical ramifications of imperial violence, the limitations of empathy, and the dehumanization of both the oppressed and their oppressors.