This study analyses the exceptional narratives of five South Asian women writers who uncover hidden manifestations of male violence against women. Their vehement struggle for the attention on gender-based violence is transferred into literary representations that give the impression of an avalanche of feelings impatiently waiting to be transformed into words after a long-endured silence. In analysing the possibilities and consequences of disrupting the silence on male violence, this study discusses the costs and the chances of success of such a non-conformist endeavour.

Master's Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Gender Studies, grade: 1,3, University of Constance, language: English, abstract: The present paper aims at approaching the exceptional cases of five South Asian women writers who grapple in their novels with different manifestations of male violence against women. What will be examined is their aesthetic perspective and representation of the given topic, as well as their significant contribution to the effort of breaking the silence on gender-based violence by transforming it into a speakable subject. The present paper will be limited to analyse its aesthetic engagements by focusing on the following fictional works: Manju Kapur (India) – Home, Taslima Nasrin (Bangladesh) – My Bengali Girlhood, Mukhtar Mai (Pakistan)- In the Name of Honor, Tehmina Durrani (Pakistan) - My Feudal Lord, and Anita Nair (India) - Ladies Coupé. The visible interest in the South Asian literary writing is legitimized by the writers’ argument that the social systems referred to in the texts display a visible predisposition to protect the male abusers and silence the victims. In an attempt to explore their indictments, it is relevant to introduce theories and empirical results from the area of sociology and psychology, as well as pertinent statements of literary critics, Indian and Pakistani writers and journalists. The present paper will contextualize and thematize the issue of gender-based violence and the silence camouflaging it on the basis of the following structural outline: the next chapter will provide a brief view on the phenomenon of violence, then it will deal with one of its particular areas, namely violence against women. Further, the paper will provide the reader an introductive outlook on gender-based violence, its various implications and the objectives of the three sub-chapters on child sexual abuse, rape, and intimate partner violence. The third chapter will be dedicated to the question of silence on male violence against women; the purpose of this chapter will be to investigate the causes of this particular type of silence, its mechanisms and the factors that contribute to its propagation. Also, in focusing on the possibilities and consequences of disrupting the silence on male violence, the paper will seek to discover what are the costs and chances of success of such an non-conformist endeavour. Finally, the last section of the thesis will be concerned with the review of the main ideas developed along the two main chapters in order to verify the substantially and relevance of the arguments.

Health Humanities in contemporary times has enabled exploration of the unexplored chartered terrains in literary paradigms. Scholars in the field of Humanities and Sciences have been engaging with the praxis of applying concepts from both disciplines revising the approach towards Health Care and Humanities. Due to interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary methodologies of reading literary texts, they have been reinforcing a paradigm shift from the conventional understanding of narratives in Literature and Health Care. Traditional discursive boundaries between the disciplines of Health and Humanities are collapsing due to a comprehensive and nuanced interpretation of the shared ontological foundation between the two – Humanism. Terminologies like Displacement, Dislocation, and Disjunction unite Health and Humanities and they also make the unknown, known. Health Humanities explores the different multitudes of narration in the literary arena and it represents diverse voices of literature. It also showcases the importance of re-reading a text owing to its autotelic status. The authors who have contributed chapters for this book have meticulously selected diverse texts and contexts, embedded in the dynamism of Health Humanities. This book is an impetus for academicians from the field of Humanities and Sciences who desire to venture into new epistemes towards Health Humanities.

Tell This Silence by Patti Duncan explores multiple meanings of speech and silence in Asian American women's writings in order to explore relationships among race, gender, sexuality, and national identity. Duncan argues that contemporary definitions of U.S. feminism must be expanded to recognize the ways in which Asian American women have resisted and continue to challenge the various forms of oppression in their lives. There has not yet been adequate discussion of the multiple meanings of silence and speech, especially in relation to activism and social-justice movements in the U.S. In particular, the very notion of silence continues to invoke assumptions of passivity, submissiveness, and avoidance, while speech is equated with action and empowerment. However, as the writers discussed in Tell This Silence suggest, silence too has multiple meanings especially in contexts like the U.S., where speech has never been a guaranteed right for all citizens. Duncan argues that writers such as Maxine Hong Kingston, Mitsuye Yamada, Joy Kogawa, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Nora Okja Keller, and Anchee Min deploy silence as a means of resistance. Juxtaposing their “unofficial narratives” against other histories—official U.S. histories that have excluded them and American feminist narratives that have stereotyped them or distorted their participation—they argue for recognition of their cultural participation and offer analyses of the intersections among gender, race, nation, and sexuality. Tell This Silence offers innovative ways to consider Asian American gender politics, feminism, and issues of immigration and language. This exciting new study will be of interest to literary theorists and scholars in women's, American, and Asian American studies.

Global and cosmopolitan since the late nineteenth century, anglophone South Asian women's writing has flourished in many genres and locations, encompassing diverse works linked by issues of language, geography, history, culture, gender, and literary tradition. Whether writing in the homeland or in the diaspora, authors offer representations of social struggle and inequality while articulating possibilities for resistance. In this volume experienced instructors attend to the style and aesthetics of the texts as well as provide necessary background for students. Essays address historical and political contexts, including colonialism, partition, migration, ecological concerns, and evolving gender roles, and consider both traditional and contemporary genres such as graphic novels, chick lit, and Instapoetry. Presenting ideas for courses in Asian studies, women's studies, postcolonial literature, and world literature, this book asks broadly what it means to study anglophone South Asian women's writing in the United States, in Asia, and around the world.

The New Series Studies In Women Writers In English Is A Grateful Acknowledgment Of The Contribution And Public Recognition Of The Emerging Voice Of Women In The Arena Of Literature During The Last Few Centuries, And Especially In The Latter Half Of The Twentieth Century. Women Writers Across The Globe Have Made Their Distinctive Mark, With Their Own Perception Of Life Be It Feminine, Or Feminist Or Female.The Critique Of Work By Women Writers Introduced In The Present Volume, The Sixth In The Series, Bears Evidence To The Growing Critical Attention Towards Authors Writing Outside The Mainstream, In America, Canada, And Especially In India, Who Can Be Seen Sharing Similar Awareness And Feelings Regarding The Woman S Angst And Aspirations.Since Most Of The Authors Discussed In These Articles Are Prescribed In The English Syllabus In The Universities Of India, Both The Teachers And The Students Will Find Them Extremely Useful, And The General Readers Who Are Interested In Literature In English And/Or Women Writers Will Also Find Them Intellectually Stimulating.