Dismantling stereotypes:a feminist reading of Bapsi Sidhwa`s novels

Abstract

This thesis examines the novels of the award-winning Pakistani writer in English Bapsi Sidhwa (1938- ). Works selected for this study are The Pakistani Bride (1990), The Crow Eaters (1990), Cracking India (1991), An American Brat (1994) and Water: A Novel (2006). This study seeks to investigate how Bapsi Sidhwa explores feminism in her fiction, depicting and demonstrating the vitality of her female characters in shaping their own identities. The study is conducted in a qualitative research. An in-depth reading of the novels with a feminist approach, particularly postcolonial feminism and Islamic feminism, shows that Sidhwa’s female characters are not afraid to brave social codes that subjugate women. Postcolonial feminism challenges the homogeneity of women’s experiences. The varied experiences of women incurred by their social, political, economic and historical circumstances must be acknowledged and accepted. In this thesis, I have highlighted how these different experiences empower the female characters with passion and vigour to create their own voices. The thesis will also elucidate the teachings of Islam regarding women’s issues where relevant. In this regard, it will look at various issues in Sidhwa’s work from the perspective of Islamic feminism that uses the framework of Islamic teachings. Islamic feminism upholds the belief that men and women complement each other and are justly equal in all spheres of their lives. Each of the novels is a cathartic release, a catalyst for change. Through her fiction, Bapsi Sidhwa persistently calls for the empowerment and emancipation of women from their otherwise marginalised existence dictated by social and cultural patriarchy.