POST-COLONIAL FEMINIST ISSUES IN QAISRA SHAHRAZ'S THE HOLY WOMAN: A CRITIQUE OF PATRIARCHAL CHALLENGES

Abstract

This paper presents a postcolonial feminist critique of The Holy Woman, by Qaisra Shahraz, analyzing aspects of repression and female agency. The story revolves around the storyline of Zari Bano as a young woman who undergoes the forced Quranic Marriage and struggles to live in the socially and culturally subjugated society. Through an intersectional lens, inspired by Mohanty’s theoretical framework, the research highlights the dual marginalization of women, shaped by both gender and class. It emphasizes Zari Bano’s struggle to assert her identity, resist patriarchal forces, and claim her autonomy in a society that attempts to suppress her. This focuses on the journey that Zari Bano has to make to establish her own identity and stand up against Patriarchy that tries to swallow her. This examination reveals how gender and culture oppression and the process of the female protagonist’s emancipation and the appropriation of agency occur in a postcolonial setting.