Content Details | NUML Online Research Repository

Content Details

Back to Department Listing

Title NOMADIC FLOWS AND FEMINIST BECOMING: THE INTERSECTIONS OF DJINN AND WOMEN IN THE SELECTED PAKISTANI ANGLOPHONE SPECULATIVE FICTION

Author(s) Maheen Haseeb Qazi

Abstract Title: Nomadic Flows and Feminist Becoming: The Intersections of Djinn and Women in The Selected Pakistani Anglophone Speculative Fiction The research explores the subversion of traditional gender norms in Pakistani society through the lens of two Pakistani Anglophone novels: A Firefly in the Dark by Shazaf Fatima Haider and The Blue Room by Nafisa Rizvi. Both novels feature strong female protagonists who engage with mythical Djinn, which serve as symbols of empowerment and resistance. Through these supernatural interactions, the protagonists challenge and transcend patriarchal constraints, gaining agency and autonomy. The analysis draws on the theoretical frameworks of Judith Butler's concept of "performativity," Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's notion of "becoming" and "nomadic flows," and Judith Lorber's understanding of gender as a social institution. A scrutiny of the texts employing the theoretical lens helps illuminate how the Djinn facilitates the protagonists' transformation, allowing them to subvert conventional gender roles and assert their identities in a patriarchal society. The research highlights the complex interplay between myth and reality in these narratives, demonstrating how they reflect and contest the dynamics of gender and power in Pakistan. Ultimately, the study underscores the profound agency and resilience of women as they navigate and resist societal restrictions, while overlapping with Djinns, offering new insights into the struggle for identity and autonomy within a culturally rich and traditionally bound society.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2025-05-09

Subject

Publisher

Contributor(s)

Format

Identifier

Source

Relation

Coverage

Rights