Abstract
This paper critically examines Bapsi Sidhwa’s The Pakistani Bride (1990) to discuss the patriarchal culture
in Pakistan. My study reveals the use of legislation, culture and religion as powerful tools to establish the patriarchal
control over the bodies and the lives of South Asian women. By applying the methodology of close textual analysis,
I discuss gender ideology as a social construct in the socio-political context of Pakistan. In the backdrop of Zia-ulHaq’s military regime (1977-88), its policies and legislation in Pakistan, my study reflects on The Pakistani
Bride through the concepts of ‘Gender Trouble’ (Sinha, 2003), ‘Bargaining with Patriarchy’ (Kandiyoti, 1988), and
‘Gender and Power’ (Connell, 1987). My research focuses on the socio-religious positioning of Pakistani women to
discuss how the mapping and positioning of women bodies reflect the idea of nation-building by exploring the
violent and subtle ways in which patriarchal culture and legislation during Zia’s regime impact Pakistani women and
marginalize their positing in society.
Sadia Nazeer, Munazza Yaqub. (2021) Representation of Gendered Female Body in Sidhwa’s The Pakistani Bride, Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, Volume-58, issue 4.
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