Volume 18, No. 6, 2021
Politics Of Representation, Racialization And Marginalization In I Am Malala By Christina Lamb And Malala Yousafzai
Hassan Khan , Anila Khan , Zafar Iqbal Bhatti
Abstract
The research aims to explore Malala Yousafzai‘s autobiography I Am Malala in terms of its politics of representation and marginalization. This autobiographical account is based on the events of the author's life in years spent in Pakistan, particularly the time when the Taliban had controlled Swat valley and the events which followed afterwards. She is of the view that life in Pakistan for women is very difficult due to which the author considers herself marginalized. The research intends to put this memoir in a postcolonial context where Taliban will be compared with the colonizers because Taliban wanted to take control of not just the Swat Valley, but the areas around as well. Similarly, colonial masters also used to do the same as British colonial masters came to the subcontinent to oppress the local inhabitants. For this purpose, the theory of subalterns by Gayatri Spivak will be used. She is of the view that even if the subalterns speak their voice is not heard deliberately. They are not able to represent themselves. Malala‘s experience in Swat was not very pleasant, which in a way symbolizes marginalization of women under the sway of such oppressed forces. Within this perspective, marginalization of Malala serves as a symbol for all the people who were affected by the Talibanization in Swat. In a way, the research will shed light on the marginalization of women in Pakistan, since some people in Pakistan call it a myth. Moreover, the research aims to investigate whether or not her memoir is based on Western agenda as it is perceived that Malala wanted to pander to western conspiracies. There are serious question marks on Malala‘s representation. In this regard the theory of Subalternity by Spivak serves as a firm ground to substantiate the argument.
Pages: 5995-6005
Keywords: Subaltern, Postcolonial, Feminism, Talibanization, Marginalisation