A Tale of Two Sisters: ContextualDifferences in Feminists’ Writings from the Global North and the Global South

Abstract

The present study explores how women writers from the Global South depict distinct intersections of oppression, in contrast to their counterparts in the Global North, whose works primarily engage with themes of gender discrimination and emancipation. The research explores three novels, Blasphemy by TehminaDurrani, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and The Awakening by Kate Chopin with the perspective of women's oppression in general and sociological uniqueness of various forms of women's oppression in particular. Applying different-context theory proposed by Jhonson-Odim (1991), the study investigates the former two texts from the Global South and the latter one text from the Global North. The research reveals that The Awakening encompasses sexuality and gender as major themes of oppression; on the other hand, Blasphemy and The God of Small Things cover extended themes of oppression—race, religious exploitation, class, caste, sexuality and gender. It shows that women in the Global South grapple with more forms of oppression than women in the Global North. The study validates that feminists from the Global North should include more contexts from the Global South to make their movement inclusive.