Abstract
This paper critically examines Bapsi Sidhwa’s The Pakistani Bride (1990) to discuss the patriarchal culture in Pakistan. My study reveals the use of legislation, culture and religion as powerful tools to establish the patriarchal control over the bodies and the lives of South Asian women. By applying the methodology of close textual analysis, I discuss gender ideology as a social construct in the socio-political context of Pakistan. In the backdrop of Zia-ul_x0002_Haq’s military regime (1977-88), its policies and legislation in Pakistan, my study reflects on The Pakistani Bride through the concepts of ‘Gender Trouble’ (Sinha, 2003), ‘Bargaining with Patriarchy’ (Kandiyoti, 1988), and ‘Gender and Power’ (Connell, 1987). My research focuses on the socio-religious positioning of Pakistani women to discuss how the mapping and positioning of women bodies reflect the idea of nation-building by exploring the violent and subtle ways in which patriarchal culture and legislation during Zia’s regime impact Pakistani women and marginalize their positing in society.
Keyword(s)
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