Abstract
This article aims to discuss gendered parameters
of national identity and collective memory in contemporary South Asian women’s
writing. Tahmima Anam’s A Golden Age
(2007) and Roma Tearne’s Bone China
(2010), in this context, represent the positive transformation of women’s roles
in the public and private spheres, as well as the understanding of femininity
and masculinity in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the independence war. In the
reproduction of national identity, there is an emphasis on the significance of
privatised domestic space, women’s involvement in the national struggle, and a
feminised collective memory in historically male-constructed nations. In A Golden Age, despite her traditional
gender roles and controversial national identity, Rehana becomes a defender of
Bangladesh due to her altering political views, while her daughter, Maya,
symbolises the progressive role of a new generation of women in the movement.
In Bone China, besides civil war and
resistance, immigration enforces a loss of collective identity, whilst women’s
domestic and public lives are subject to profound change. The two novels
promise hope for the transformation of women’s roles and status, and emphasise
the significance of women’s narratives and collective memory in the
preservation of national identity.
References
- Anam, T. (2007). A golden age. London: John Murray. Boehmer, E. (2005). Stories of women: Gender and narrative in the postcolonial nation. New York: Manchester University Press. De Mel, N. (2001). Women and the nation’s narrative: Gender and nationalism in twentieth century Sri Lanka. USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Moghadam, V. M. (1994). Gender and national identity. UK: The United Nations University. Mohanty, C. T. (2003). Feminism without borders. London: Duke University Press. Puri, J. (1999). Women, body and desire in postcolonial India. New York: Routledge. Stapleton, K. & Wilson, J. (2004). Gender, nationality and identity: A discursive study. European Journal of Women’s Studies, 11.1: 45-60. Tearne, R. (2010). Bone China. London: The Harper Press. Mohanty, T., Russo, A. & Torres L. (Eds.). (1991). Third world women and the politics of feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Yuval-Davis, N. 1997. Gender and nation. London: Sage. West, L. A. 2013. Introduction. In L.A. West (Ed.), Feminist nationalism. Oxon: Routledge.
Abstract
Bu makale, çağdaş Güney Asyalı kadınların
eserlerinde ulusal kimliğin ve kolektif belleğin cinsiyet parametrelerini ele
almayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Tahmima Anam’ın A Golden Age (2007) ve Roma Tearne’nin Bone China (2010) adlı çalışmaları, kadınların kamusal ve özel
alandaki rollerinin olumlu anlamda dönüşümünü ve Sri Lanka ile Bangladeş’in
bağımsızlık savaşları sürecinde kadınlık ve erkeklik kavramlarındaki değişimi
ele almaktadır. Ulusal kimliğin yeniden üretilmesinde, özel alanın önemine,
kadınların ulusal mücadeleye katılımına ve tarihsel olarak erkek-egemen
milletlerde kadınların oluşturduğu kolektif belleğe vurgu yapılmaktadır. A Golden Age’de, geleneksel cinsiyet
rollerine ve tartışmalı ulusal kimliğine rağmen, Rehana değişen siyasi
görüşüyle Bangladeş’in savunucusu olurken, kızı Maya, direnişte yeni nesil
kadınlarının gelişen rolünü temsil etmektedir. Bone China romanında ise, iç savaş ve direnişin yanı sıra, göç
unsuru kolektif kimliğin yitirilmesine yol açarken, kadınların özel ve kamusal
yaşamları büyük bir değişikliğe maruz kalmaktadır. Her iki eser de, kadının
rollerinin ve statüsünün dönüşümü açısından umut vaat etmekte ve ulusal
kimliğin korunmasında kadın anlatılarının ve kolektif belleğin önemini
vurgulamaktadır.
References
- Anam, T. (2007). A golden age. London: John Murray. Boehmer, E. (2005). Stories of women: Gender and narrative in the postcolonial nation. New York: Manchester University Press. De Mel, N. (2001). Women and the nation’s narrative: Gender and nationalism in twentieth century Sri Lanka. USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Moghadam, V. M. (1994). Gender and national identity. UK: The United Nations University. Mohanty, C. T. (2003). Feminism without borders. London: Duke University Press. Puri, J. (1999). Women, body and desire in postcolonial India. New York: Routledge. Stapleton, K. & Wilson, J. (2004). Gender, nationality and identity: A discursive study. European Journal of Women’s Studies, 11.1: 45-60. Tearne, R. (2010). Bone China. London: The Harper Press. Mohanty, T., Russo, A. & Torres L. (Eds.). (1991). Third world women and the politics of feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Yuval-Davis, N. 1997. Gender and nation. London: Sage. West, L. A. 2013. Introduction. In L.A. West (Ed.), Feminist nationalism. Oxon: Routledge.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Turkish language and literature |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | October 21, 2018 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2018 Issue: 12 |
RumeliDE Journal of Language and Literature Studies is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY NC).