Patriarchy, Power and Protest: Women’s Agency in South Asian and African Literature

Abstract

This dissertation explores the marginalization of women and their agency in the context of both literature reflecting the Partition of the Indian Subcontinent and African novels, examining the evolution of patriarchal structures and the ways in which women navigate and challenge these systems. Through an analysis of key texts, including What the Body Remembers, Cracking India, The Joys of Motherhood, Things Fall Apart, and Woman at Point Zero, this study highlights the patriarchal manipulation of religion, tradition, and women's roles as wives and mothers to enforce patriarchal control. Despite the doubly marginalized position of women, these narratives reveal how women have created voices and "mini-narratives" that puncture the overarching patriarchal structures. The research also delves into contemporary examples of women's oppression, such as widow immolation, honor killings, and female genital mutilation, analyzing the patriarchal discourses that circulate in these accounts and contextualizing these within ongoing global patriarchal trends. Additionally, this dissertation examines the political implications of the Western representation of Muslim women, particularly through the discourse on the veil, and argues that the Western stance on such symbols mirrors patriarchal tactics of marginalization. The study asserts that, despite the silencing forces of patriarchy, women consistently carve out spaces for agency and resistance through storytelling, both in historical and modern contexts.