Gender and Pandemic Realities: Analyzing the Representation of Marginalized Women in No Funeral for Nazia

Authors

  • Muhammad Naeem, Lecturer, Department of English, Division of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Education Lahore, DG Khan Campus, Pakistan.
  • Dr. Saima Yousaf Khan Lecturer, Department of English Literature, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
  • Dr. Saman Salah Assistant Professor, Department of English, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract

The study analyzes the portrayal of oppressed women in Taha Kehar's No Funeral for Nazia, particularly at the time of gendered experiences amid a COVID-19 pandemic. Through a feminist lens, the research illustrates a system that fuels the socio-economic and psychological plight of women who are already victims of systemic oppression exacerbated by the crisis. By analyzing Kehar’s narrative techniques, character development, and discourse strategies, this study underscores the confluence of gender, class, and identity within the crises. The findings demonstrate how the pandemic deepened existing gender inequities, curtailed women’s autonomy, and solidified patriarchal systems. But the book also explores resilience and resistance as driving forces, showing how women adapt to hard times with limited options. By locating No Funeral for Nazia within a wider body of contemporary Pakistani fiction addressing gendered vulnerabilities within socio-political upheaval, this research draws on discussions on pandemic literature as a broader context.

Keywords: Gender and Pandemic Realities, Representation of Marginalized Women in No Funeral for Nazia

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Published

2025-03-25

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025): Liberal Journal of Language & Literature Review

Section

Articles