The Ideology of Emotion and Discrimination: an Analysis of Oppressive Structures in N. K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season

This paper examines how the intertwined ideologies of emotion and discrimination shape and sustain social oppression in The Fifth Season, the first book of N. K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Trilogy. The novel narratively constructs the experiences of marginalized individuals, the Orogenes, depicting their subjugation and emotional oppression while exploring how societal emotions function as mechanisms of discrimination and exclusion. To analyze this process, this study employs Sara Ahmed’s The Cultural Politics of Emotionas a theoretical framework, focusing on how emotions such as hatred and fear are not merely personal reactions but actively justify and perpetuate social exclusion and inequality. Specifically, this paper investigates how emotions operate as structural mechanisms of oppression within the novel, shaping social boundaries and reinforcing hegemonic power relations. Furthermore, it highlights how The Fifth Seasonnot only illustrates the circulation of emotions within oppressive systems but also reveals the internalization of discriminatory ideologies through its narrative. By doing so, this study demonstrates that emotions are not isolated individual experiences but essential forces that construct and maintain social hierarchies, ultimately providing a critical exploration of the politics of emotion and structural discrimination.