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This article has been published in: Ocula 35, Zombesque. Sociosemiotics of a cultural epidemic

author: Federico Marcon (Departments of East Asian Studies and History, Princeton University, USA)

Zombies We Live By. A Greimasian Analysis of Train to Busan

language: english

abstract: Zombies are cultural tropes that, as semiotic devices, convey denotative and connotative meanings revealing ethical, political, and sociological aspects of the society that engendered them. Zombies, which entered the teratological imaginary only in the Twentieth century, are the monsters of choice in today’s predicament whereby, as Mark Fisher put it, it seems to be easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. Train to Busan is a perfect example of the signifying power of the zombie and of its worldwide adoption. Set in a train escaping a zombie invasion, the struggle of humans against zombies symbolically stands as an invitation of embracing the value of solidarity and cooperation against the effects of capitalist exploitation and environmental degradation.

citation information: Federico Marcon, Zombies We Live By. A Greimasian Analysis of Train to Busan, "Ocula", vol.26, n.35, pp.141-155, September 2025. DOI: 10.57576/ocula2025-37

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