Unheard Voices and Intersecting Inequalities: An Intersectional Analysis of Hanif’s Novel Our Lady of Alice Bhatti

Abstract

The present study explores different dimensions of inequality based on which people are marginalized and subjugated. The different dimensions like race, gender, religion, sex, physical abilities, and class difference intersect to reflect multiple simultaneous oppressions of women. The voice of a marginalized character, Alice, is raised to reflect the miseries of women in the Pakistani context. The study employed Dill and Zambrana's (2009) intersectionality to explore multiple simultaneous oppressions of Alice in Hanif's Our Lady of Alice Bhatti. The qualitative paradigm is used to critically analyze the text and explore different dimensions of inequality. It selected Hanif’s Our Lady of Alice Bhatti as primary data, while it also took relevant secondary data from different scholarly articles and sites. Belsey's (2013) textual analysis guides the researcher to make meaning of the text by close reading. The study is significant for literary students because it gives an insight into the miserable lives of women based on various intersecting identities. The oppressed and marginalized woman is given a voice to resist the disparities in society. Moreover, the study reflects that gender and sex are not the only factors of women's subjugation. Rather, other categories like race, class, and religion intersect to subjugate the women.