The Role of Gender, Power, and Resistance in Shaping Female Subjectivity: A Feminist Study of South Asian Women Writers in English

Abstract

This study examines the complex intersections of gender, power, and resistance in shaping female subjectivity within the works of South Asian women writers in English. South Asian literature has increasingly become a site for negotiating questions of identity, oppression, and empowerment, where women authors challenge patriarchal narratives and reframe cultural discourses through their creative expression. The primary objective of this research is to analyze how female subjectivity is constructed, contested, and redefined in selected texts, with particular attention to feminist theoretical frameworks. The methodology adopts a qualitative and interpretive approach, employing close textual analysis of novels and short stories by writers such as Kamila Shamsie, Arundhati Roy, and Jhumpa Lahiri. The study highlights how themes of resistance, agency, and self-representation emerge in response to patriarchal power structures and socio-political constraints. Findings suggest that these writers not only critique dominant ideologies but also create alternative spaces for women’s voices and experiences, contributing to broader feminist discourses in postcolonial literature. The research carries significant implications for understanding how English-language literature from South Asia functions as a medium of resistance, empowerment, and cultural redefinition.