VIOLENCE AS A PSYCHO-SOCIAL DISCOURSE IN WOMEN’S WRITING: A STUDY OF SELECTED WRITINGS OF TEHMINA DURRANI, MEENA ALEXANDER AND ANITA NAIR

Abstract

The present research work entitled “Violence as a Psycho social Discourse in Women’s Writing: A Study of Selected Writings of Tehmina Durrani, Meena Alexander and Anita Nair” attempts to explore the theme of violence in selected women’s writing. It focuses on the psycho-social discourse constructed through the theme of violence in selected writings. All the three writers selected for the study are recognisable contemporary women writers writing in different parts of the world, deal with the exploration of the implications of physical, psychological, cultural, economic, political, and communal tendencies of violence with special reference to its manipulation in a woman’s life. The basis of this research project is to understand the implications of this multi-dimensional term in a woman’s life. The attempt was to analyse the underlining ideologies and beliefs responsible for constructing gender identities through manifestation of violence. Study of selected texts foregrounds the diverse subtle forms of violence with the help of theoretical insights by Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault, Mahatma Gandhi, Rene Girard, Slavoz Zizek and Frantz Fanon. The present thesis is organised into five chapters. The first chapter deals with manifestations of violence and its associations with various discourses. Further it focuses on critically examining the complex and subtle association of violence with patriarchy, justice and power. The introductory chapter foregrounds the history of women writing which depicts violence and survey of the work done previously. Second chapter examines the various dimensions of violence, i. e, physical, sexual, psychological, and communal violence in the selected texts. The third chapter studies the depiction of social, cultural, economic, political and religious discourses responsible for constructing an individualistic identity of a woman despite of their socio-cultural and political locations. The fourth chapter brings forth the making of woman through subjectivity. The woman when subjected to violence, alienation, and identity crisis gives rise to consciousness and rationality and this subjectivity crafts the woman. The conclusion of the thesis tries to bring forth how the theme of violence works as a psycho-social discourse in women’s writings with special reference to the selected writings of Tehmina Durrani, Meena Alexander and Anita Nair. The iv writings of three authors from varied socio-cultural backgrounds help us to understand the transformation of subjected women from complaint to rebellious for asserting their position in the patriarchal societies.