HIDDEN CROSSES VS HIDDEN SELVES: FAITH, GENDER AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN JAVED’S RUBY

Abstract

In the later years of English Literature, identity, gender and religious marginalization are more prominent themes to gain critical understanding into the experience of minority subpopulations in contemporary South Asian set up. In this study, integrated theoretical approaches based on Hall's theory of Identity Construction, Butler's theory of Gender Performativity and Crenshaw's theory of Intersectionality have been applied to analyze Javed's Ruby from a perspective of intersectionality between faith, gender and identity construction. A qualitative interpretivist approach has been implemented and the methodology adopted is descriptive textual analysis. The analysis illustrates how identity is not static, but instead becomes subject to constant formation and change, mediated by culture, experience and power. The results show that the protagonist utilizes Christian beliefs as a code of identification of marginalization; the gender roles are also operative and the protagonist's courage is constrained by the need to preserve dignity and a sense of belonging. The study highlights that Ruby undermines the dominant discourses around the religious minorities. The study also explores the intricate issues that minority women face and which are unattainable through a single classification: gender and religion. This study drew insights from minority representation, feminist literary criticism and intersectionality, with contributions towards current studies of Pakistani English literature and to critical debates regarding how minority representations, gender and identity construction are talked about in the realm of postcolonial literary studies.