Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Creative Writing

First Advisor

Dr. Jean Braithwaite

Second Advisor

Emmy Pérez

Third Advisor

Dr. Deborah Cole

Abstract

This thesis is a collection of thematically related nonfiction works that offers a cultural critique of the author’s three cultures – Pakistani, American, and Muslim – through a feminist lens. The author attempts to offer an intersectional feminist’s insight based on her lived experiences as a Pakistani American woman – born in Karachi, raised in Louisiana and the Rio Grande Valley in Deep South Texas. It explores feminist theory, focusing heavily on rape culture (“Shame and Regrets,” “Bollywood’s Rape Fetish”) and religious influences (“Infallible,” “The Hijab”). It also details the author’s experience as a Muslim woman who chose to observe hijab after 9/11, her crisis of faith, and ultimate rejection of religion (“A Modest Woman”). By not italicizing when code switching between Urdu and English, it touches briefly on post-colonial theory. The works are presented in a variety of forms, including a screenplay (“The International Language of Woman”) and poetry (“Kaal”); and hybrid forms are utilized to better present the arguments against patriarchal dominance in cultures both East and West using research, historical data, and empirical evidence (“A Social Experiment,” “Dear Grammar Girl”).

Comments

Copyright 2016 Husney Farwa Naqvi. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/fallen-female-testimony/docview/1810998694/se-2?accountid=7119

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