Comparative Analysis of Maternal Resistance in Postcolonial Novels: A Case Study of Beloved and A Thousand Splendid Suns

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistan Professor;Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

2 MA Graduate in English language and literature, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran.

3 Instructor; Shahid Bahonar university of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.

10.22103/jrl.2024.22623.2924

Abstract

Resistance in postcolonial studies is crucial for the establishment of cultural autonomy and individual identity against dominant cultures. This concept has historically promoted freedom and the empowerment of marginalized identities. The resurgence of resistance studies today is driven by innovative perspectives influenced by postcolonial and feminist methodologies in the context of neocolonialism. This study delves into the intersection of postcolonial theories, resistance, and identity in Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, exploring how resistance can shape individual identities against oppressive narratives.
    The concept of maternal resistance in these novels transcends traditional roles and becomes a powerful tool for understanding struggle, independence, and identity formation in the face of neocolonial discourse. Morrison and Hosseini portray maternal figures as agents of resistance against oppression, with Beloved highlighting the sacrifices of maternal resilience in the context of slavery, and A Thousand Splendid Suns glorifying the mother as a catalyst for transformation. By reclaiming maternal resilience in its existential sense, the authors emphasize the role of mothers in shaping resistance-based identities and narratives.

Keywords

References

 
الف. منابع فارسی
-الحبیب لویی و الوندی، رضا. (1397). «بازنگری در مفهوم سابالترن (فرودستان) از گرامشی تا اسپیواک: تحولات تاریخی و کاربردهای جدید». تاریخ نو. جلد 8، دوره زمستان، شماره 2.
-ورتون، استیون. (1392). گایاتری چاکراورتی اسپیواک. ترجمۀ نجمه قابلی. تهران: نشر بیدگل.
-نوراللهی، محمدرضا و احمدزاده، شیده. (۱۳۹۱). «بررسی بحران هویت در رمان دلبند  اثر تونی موریسون». نقد زبان و ادبیات خارجی، دورۀ پنجم، شمارۀ ۸، بهار و تابستان، ۱-۱۰.
ب.منابع لاتین
-Bhandari, N. B. (2022). Resistance and Postcolonialism: A Critical Review. Journal of Political Science, 92–99.
-Ghasemi, P. (2010). »Negotiating Black Motherhood in Toni Morrison’s Novels«. CLA Journal, 53(3), 235-253.
-Grewal, I. K. (2008). The Monstrous and Maternal in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. In BRILL eBooks (pp. 63–80). BRILL.
-Hosseini, K. (2008). A Thousand Splendid Suns. A&C Black.
-Jefferess, J., & Imran, M. (2017). »Courageous Women: A Study of Resilience of Women in Khaled Hosseini’s Novel A Thousand Splendid Suns«. Language in India, 17(1), 98-107.
-Joyia, M. I., et al. (2017). »Courageous Women: A Study of Resilience of Women in Khaled Hosseini’s Novel A Thousand Splendid Suns«. Language in India, 17(1), 98-107.
-Lazarus, N. (2004). Introducing Postcolonial Studies. In Cambridge University Press eBooks (pp. 1-16). Cambridge University Press.
-Mills, J. H., et al. (2012). Identity Politics at Work: Resisting Gender, Gendering Resistance. Routledge.
-Moore‐Gilbert, Bart. »Spivak and Bhabha«. A Companion to Postcolonial Studies, Jan. 2005, pp. 451–66.
-Morrison, T. (2004). Beloved. Vintage.
-Peterson, C. (2006). »Beloved’s Claim«. Modern Fiction Studies, 52(3), 548-569.
-Pogge, T. (2010). Responses to the Critics. In A. M. Jaggar (Ed.), Thomas Pogge and His Critics (p. 209).
-Putnam, A. (2011). »Mothering Violence: Ferocious Female Resistance in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, and a Mercy. Black Women, Gender + Families«, 5(2), 25.
-Shabanirad, E., & Seifi, E. (2014). »Postcolonial Feminist Reading of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns«. International Journal of Women’s Research, 3(2), 241-254.
-Spivak, G. C. (1995). Can the Subaltern Speak? In B. Ashcroft, G.
 _ _. Spivak, G. C. (1991). »Neocolonialism and the secret agent of knowledge. Oxford Literary Review«, 13(1), 220-251. Edinburgh University Press.
-Stuhr, R. (2013). A Thousand Splendid Suns: Sanctuary and Resistance. In N. Birns (Ed.), Critical Insights: Cultural Encounters. Salem Press.
Journal of Resistance Literature
Volume 15, Issue 29
March 2024
Pages 135-164

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics