‘Jij zult nooit een slachtoffer blijven [...], want jij bent een held’

Abstract

Abstract Who is allowed to occupy which space in a multicultural society? Whose worlds and perspectives are represented in the fictional space? In this article we investigate the answers to these questions by means of a narratological analysis, informed by insights from postcolonial and cultural theory, of the novel Dertig dagen (2015) by Annelies Verbeke. While Saskia Pieterse (2014) suggests that in many recent novels ‘the Other’ is often a flat character and merely the embodiment of the theme of multiculturalism, in Dertig dagen a Senegalese-born Fleming is the main focalizing character. Starting from an analysis of the narratological position he occupies in the novel, we will focus on what the reader sees through his eyes. Our attention is drawn to the representation of different physical and imagined spaces that are not equally accessible to everyone as well as to the discrepancy between inner worlds and the outside world. This discrepancy exposes the connection between fear and various forms of violence, between multiculturalism and happiness. Using Sara Ahmed’s theoretical assumptions ‐ from The Politics of Emotions (2004) and The Promise of Happiness (2010) ‐ and Alan Corkhill's conceptualization of Spaces for Happiness (2012), we analyse the violent effect ‐ in terms of dissemination and internalization ‐ of dominant norms in different spaces.