This path-breaking volume brings together major international scholars to reflect on the vital importance and relevance of the concept of abjection for the interpretation of modern and contemporary culture. This genuinely interdisciplinary collection draws on the work of Georges Bataille, Judith Butler, Julia Kristeva and other key critical thinkers to produce innovative fresh readings of works of art, film, theatre and literature. The clear and accessible essays that make up this volume extend the existing literature on abjection in exciting new ways to demonstrate the enduring richness and applicability of the concept of abjection in cultural thinking and in contemporary art practice. The collection includes contributions that look beyond an Anglophone context, considering works by Chilean-Australian and Indigenous Canadian artists.