Abuse of Power in Novel the Ministry of Time Using Rosi Braidotti’s Posthuman Theory

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the forms of abuse of power in Kaliane Bradley's novel The Ministry of Time using Rosi Braidotti's Posthumanism theory. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with the main data sources being dialogue, narrative, and events in the novel, and supported by relevant previous theories and studies. The analysis focuses on three main concepts of Posthumanism: posthuman subjectivity, technological assemblage, and biopolitics. The results show that the British government in the novel uses time travel technology, institutional structures, and administrative systems as a means to control, supervise, and exploit expatriates from the past. Through the concept of posthuman subjectivity, the identities of expatriates are formed through their relationships with technology, institutions, and social environments, so that they are no longer seen as fully autonomous subjects. The concept of technological assemblage shows that technology is not neutral, but rather becomes part of a network of power used to regulate human life. Meanwhile, the concept of biopolitics shows how the state controls the bodies, identities, and lives of expatriates through bureaucratic mechanisms and institutional policies. This study concludes that the novel The Ministry of Time represents the abuse of power as a result of the relationship between humans, technology, and institutions, while also confirming the Posthumanist view that human life in the posthuman era is shaped by a complex network of relationships, not solely by humans as the center of life.