The Architecture of Assimilation: Spatial Agency and the ‘Capacity of Incapacity’ in Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman

Raghav

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85975

The Architecture of Assimilation: Spatial Agency and the ‘Capacity of Incapacity’ in Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman

Author(s)	Mr. Raghav
Country	India
Abstract	Sayaka Murata’s 2018 novel Convenience Store Woman is often read as a quirky, unsettling satire of late-stage capitalism and gendered labour. Its protagonist, Keiko Furukura, stands entirely outside the expected milestones of adult life, rendering her a bizarre anomaly to her family and peers. However, shifting the critical lens toward contemporary disability studies—specifically the concept of the "capacity of incapacity"—reveals a completely different narrative architecture. Keiko’s so-called "incapacity" is not a biological deficit; it is a matter of geography. By mapping her movements between the hostile, unstructured social world and the hyper-regulated microcosm of the Hiiromachi Station Smile Mart, I argue that her divergence transforms into a highly specialised capacity when placed in the right environment. Murata’s text actively dismantles the medical model of disability, framing "normalcy" as an exhausting, socially constructed performance rather than a biological baseline. Through an analysis of Keiko’s masking strategies and spatial negotiations, this paper explores how the novel redefines neurodivergent agency, positioning the convenience store as a rare, accessible ecosystem engineered for survival.
Keywords	: Disability Studies, Neurodivergence, Sayaka Murata, Social Model of Disability, Crip Theory, Spatial Agency, Japanese Contemporary Literature.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-08-17
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85975

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The Architecture of Assimilation: Spatial Agency and the ‘Capacity of Incapacity’ in Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman

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