Feminist Subaltern in 21st-Century Urdu Novel: A Research and Critical Appraisal of 'Kahani Koi Sunao Matasha'

Abstract

The representation of the "Feminist Subaltern" holds immense significance in the 21st-century Urdu novel. In the light of postcolonial and feminist discourses, subaltern theory is rooted in the concepts of Antonio Gramsci and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. When a marginalized female character faces compound oppressions such as patriarchy, economic injustice, and social prejudices, she embodies the "feminist subaltern." Dr. Sadiqa Nawab Sahar has authored the novel Kahani Koi Sunao Matasha in an autobiographical monologue style, courageously and artistically documenting the narrative of female exploitation. This study investigates whether the protagonist, "Matasha," remains merely a silent victim of violence and voicelessness, or if she reclaims her existence, identity, and resistant narrative. The key finding of this research reveals that the novel's narrative breaks the stagnation of conventional female victimhood, portraying the feminist subaltern as a self-aware, autonomous, and empowered individual.