MAPPING THE TRAJECTORY OF A POSTHUMAN NOMAD: A DELEUZIAN READING OF THE JOKER

Abstract

Becoming ‘minoritarian’, for Deleuze and Guattari is an action that happens outside of the
dominant discourse. It is a process of deterritorialization to reinvent a minority stance.
Through becoming, one can create myriads of identities and use it to resist the State
Apparatus, Social Objectification, and Categorization. Becoming is not evolution by descent
or affiliation, but it is an infinite process of metamorphosis. Todd Phillip’s latest film Joker
(2019) portrays such a becoming of its titular character. Joker is the recurring archenemy of
Batman and one of the most enduring fictional characters of all time. In the various movies,
books, and games featuring Joker, he is called the Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker gives a
profound look into the various psychological particularities of the character’s criminal mind
and substantially reveals his philosophical position towards life in a Posthuman Society.
Through an examination of Joker’s life and plight in Gotham City, the study tries to explore
the trajectories of Becoming a Nomad in a society where class war still exists. More
importantly, the study is an attempt to figure out the domino effect of anarchy in a totalitarian
regime.