REPRESENTATION OF PATRIARCHY IN STAPLES’ CHOLISTAN TRILOGY: A FEMINIST CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The patriarchal power relation has different kinds of discursive manifestations in the forms of patriarchal dominance, hegemony, classical patriarchy and neo-patriarchy which all represent social realities of gender power differentials. This discursive accomplishment of power differential needs to be analysed for raising social awareness, feminist spirit and feminist reflexivity (Lazar, 2007; 2014). As such, the current study analysed the discursive construction of patriarchal power relation in the text of Staples’ Cholistan Trilogy which consists of three novels Shabanu (1989), Haveli (1993) and The House of Djinn (2008). An eclectic approach of theoretical framework consisting Lazar’s (2005; 2007; 2014) feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA), Butler’s (1990) gender performativity and Foucault’s (1980) subjectivity theory was adopted. Halliday’s (1985) approach of transitivity analysis was used for analysing the transitivity processes in the performances of gendered subjects described in the verbal phrases of the clauses in the text. The results showed that men have been constructed in agentive position as in charge of social control through the use of material, relational, verbal and mental processes in the clauses. The study revealed that patriarchal dominance and hegemony are manifested in the social practices with discrimination, social control, marginalization and physical violence meted out to women. As such, women cannot transgress the gender normativity to reconstruct their gender identities for public participation and emancipation. The study recommends that women’s representation should be carried out through such discourses that permit performances of deconstruction of gender stereotypes for their emancipation and public participation.