Breaking boundaries: Fugard’s Blood Knot and the dynamics of deterritorialization

This paper explores the concept of deterritorialization in Athol Fugard's Blood Knot through the philosophical frameworks of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, focusing on how Fugard’s characters transcend the oppressive restrictions of apartheid using symbolic actions and postdramatic techniques. The study employs a multidisciplinary approach, applying Deleuze and Guattari's philosophical concepts to analyze Blood Knot through three primary lenses: temporal displacement, symbolic landscapes, and embodied contradictions. These elements are examined to reveal how Fugard manipulates time, space, and the physicality of his characters to reflect the process of deterritorialization. By analyzing how identity markers and power dynamics are portrayed and subverted within the play, the approach combines philosophical theory with literary analysis to uncover the deeper layers of resistance and transformation within the characters' experiences under apartheid. The analysis demonstrates that Fugard’s characters rise above apartheid’s constraints by engaging in symbolic and embodied actions, which reflect the fluidity of identity and resistance to oppressive systems. The manipulation of time, symbolic environments, and physical struggles within the play illustrates a deeper process of deterritorialization, where characters disrupt the rigid social and political structures imposed on them. By examining the play through philosophical and symbolic lenses, the study highlights Fugard's nuanced portrayal of resistance and the fluid, dynamic nature of identity under oppressive regimes, providing a richer understanding of the complexities of identity and power within the play’s historical and political context.