UNVEILING THE SUBVERSIVE: A FEMINIST CRITIQUE OF GENDER, POWER, AND RESISTANCE IN TEHMINA DURRANI’S BLASPHEMY

Abstract

This study integrates Judith Butler’s theory of performativity into a feminist analysis of Tehmina Durrani’s Blasphemy. The study contends that the narrative depicts female characters actively resisting patriarchal norms and expectations through gender performance. Using Butler’s theory, this study examines how the novel challenges the notion of a fixed, essential identity by depicting characters forging alternate identities that reject the constraints imposed by society. The study examines how Durrani describes power as performative and fluid, as characters negotiate and dispute the power dynamics. The concept of power is depicted as dynamic, subject to negotiation and contention, offering a novel viewpoint on acts of resistance. The study illustrates that applying Butler’s theory of performativity to the novel’s text provides an intriguing perspective on the issues of gender, power, and resistance in Durrani’s fiction. The approach contributes to more significant dialogues concerning how gender is built and performed and the possibility of resistance and subversion within performative acts. The study posits Durrani’s narrative as a discerning critique of patriarchy and Islamophobia, thus contributing to conversations on intersectionality and religious identity. This study demonstrates that feminist literary criticism can benefit from applying creative and pertinent theoretical frameworks that enhance our comprehension of literature’s subversive potential.