WESTERN FEMINISM AND SUBALTERN WOMAN: A POSTCOLONIAL ANALYSIS OF ATIQ RAHIMI’S THE PATIENCE STONE (2008)

Abstract

This research paper is a qualitative, textual and contextual analysis of Atiq Rahimi’s The Patience Stone (2008). The paper discusses the misrepresentation of the problems of eastern women by western feminism. Western framework and parameters of the women rights are not universally applicable and their implementation in the eastern, third world countries is a neo-colonial strategy to achieve colonial purposes. This kind of feminism adds to the misery and marginalization of the third world subaltern women. By doing a close textual analysis of the selected text, researcher has explored the instances where the colonial interests are closely but clandestinely linked to the feminist concerns promulgated in the novel. This western feminist politics and its negative consequences for subaltern women and advantages for colonial powers have been explored in this research paper using the subaltern theory of Gayatri Spivak and postcolonial ideas of Edward Said. Moreover, using the method of contextual analysis this research also investigates, how the writer of this novel, Atiq Rahimi, seems to have certain political discourses influencing him while writing this novel. Some other instances suggest that writer had personal, career-related, interests that can be seen being reflected in this novel. For theoretical underpinnings for this contextual analysis, Lisa Lau’s theory of re-orientalism and theory of New-Historicism has been used. Using these theories this paper discusses the political scenario surrounding the time of publication of this novel and the influence of dominating discourses on it. Research also discusses the writer’s affiliations with western culture from his childhood and his dependence on the western discourse throughout his career and manifestation of this affiliation and dependence in this novel.