Subversion or Infiltration of the Empire: Decolonial Reading of the Esther Narrative

Resumo

The paper reads the Esther narrative from a decolonial perspective. In such a reading, the book of Esther is viewed as a book that emerged in the context of the struggle for survival, power and authority in the face of imperial domination. The paper argues that the book reflects various strategies for undermining the empire in the face of life-denying circumstances; however, in the final analysis, the subdued/powerless remain entrapped within the imperial system. In this reading, I also take cognisance of the suffering of the (South) African people in the so-called democratic dispensation, and the suffering of the Palestinian people in the ongoing Israeli War on Gaza.