Stories of mothering in selected Muslim female narratives
List of Authors
  • Rabiatul Adawiyah Yusoff , Raihanah M.M.

Keyword
  • gendered stories; motherhood; mothering styles; women’s fiction

Abstract
  • Stories written by women writers hold an instrumental position in literature as they highlight the female perspectives and worldview, spatially and temporally. In Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi and A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam, the female personal narratives include important details concerning the history of Oman and Bangladesh in the 1970s, respectively. This comparative study seeks to reveal images of motherhood in both novels and uncover the nature of the representation of mothers in Omani and Bangladeshi societies. The methodology adopts intersectionality as a lens to examine the images of mothering within the two socio-cultural contexts. The two novels revealed images of motherhood that are layered with complexities and tied to the culture they belong to. The narratives are also monumental as they reveal multifaceted themes of motherhood that lead to profound implications in the lives of the next generation.

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