Typhoons as Equalizer and Divider: Mobility (In)justice, and Politics in Disaster Novels in Philippine Literature in English

This chapter examines how three twenty-first-century Philippine novels—Caroline Hau’s Tiempo Muerto, Criselda Yabes’ Broken Islands, and Daryll Delgado’s Remains—depict the complex socio-cultural, economic, and political ramifications of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, exposing critical intersections of literature, climate change, and mobility justice. Grounded in a decolonized framework of “Commoning Asia,” this analysis explores the unequal mobilities experienced by marginalized communities. It underscores disparities in migration, agricultural conditions, employment, and medical access, demonstrating how typhoons, as transnational ecological crises, trigger forms of human mobility, spanning geographical, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions. Through the lens of Mimi Sheller’s theory of mobility justice and Tim Cresswell’s politics of mobility, this chapter elucidates how entrenched power dynamics and cultural norms exacerbate systemic inequalities during and after disasters. Through an analysis of the various qualities of movement, this chapter uncovers new interpretations of individual texts and establishes connections between seemingly disparate works. In doing so, it positions Philippine literature within the broader context of Asian and world literatures, emphasizing its crucial role in navigating mobility dynamics and advocating for mobility justice in the face of shared vulnerabilities and the urgent need for collective responses to transnational climate change.