Subaltern Voices in Pakistani Literature: A Critical Analysis of Working-Class Women's Representation

Abstract

This qualitative research aims to critically analyze the representation of working-class women in Pakistani literature, with a specific focus on Sara Suleri's "Meatless Days" and Bapsi Sidhwa's "Cracking India". Grounded in the theoretical framework of Subaltern Studies, this research employs a critical discourse analysis approach to examine the power dynamics, resistance, and agency of working-class women in Pakistan. The research's objectives are to identify and analyze the subaltern voices of working-class women, to examine the ways in which they are marginalized and excluded from dominant power structures, and to explore the forms of resistance and agency they exercise. The research findings reveal that working-class women in Pakistan are subjected to multiple forms of oppression, including economic exploitation, social exclusion, and limited access to education and healthcare. However, the research also highlights the ways in which working-class women resist and challenge dominant power structures, exercising agency and autonomy in various forms. The research contributes to the existing body of literature on Subaltern Studies, feminist theory, and postcolonial literature, and provides recommendations for future research and policy development. This research is significant because it amplifies the voices of marginalized working-class women in Pakistan, highlighting their experiences, struggles, and forms of resistance.

Keywords: Subaltern Studies, Working-Class Women, Pakistani Literature, Critical Discourse Analysis, Postcolonial Feminism.