CHALLENGING MONOLITHIC REPRESENTATIVE: MOHANTY'S CRITIQUE OF "THIRDWORLD WOMEN" IN ANALYSIS OF SYRRINA HAQUE'S SAND IN THE CASTLE

Abstract

Western feminist scholarship tends to normalize & essentialize Thirdworld women experiences, disregarding their multiple and complicated realities. This study examines Haque (2010). Sand in the castle: A collection of short stories using the Chandra Mohanty’s thirdworld women hood theory by focusing on the complexity context-based depiction of women lives. This paper shows how Haque selected stories question universalizing Western feminist paradigms by presenting female characters whose struggles are profoundly rooted in particular historical, cultural, and economic contexts by using Mohanty criticism of Western feminism construction of monolithic “Third world women”. Analysis executed by quantitative method approach shows how Haque’s depiction of Pakistani women’s experience challenges Western feminist preconceptions by revealing forms of agency & resistance that negotiate overlapping power system. By applying Mohanty theoretical insights, thesis highlights how Haque’s literary strategies subvert Western feminist assumptions & emphasize importance of localized, context-specific womenhood. This analysis contributes to broader scholarly conversation on the need for diverse and inclusive feminist theories that recognize the heterogeneity of women’s experiences across different geographical and cultural landscapes.