Date of Award
Summer 8-8-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Tanya Marie Caldwell
Abstract
“Unsilencing and Laying Bare: A Comparative Study of Mother to Mother by Magona and Things I’ve Been Silent About by Nafisi” explores how these authors employ literature to challenge oppressive regimes and reclaim suppressed histories in apartheid South Africa and post-revolutionary Iran, respectively. Through close textual analysis and comparative study, this thesis examines recurring themes of identity, trauma, motherhood, resistance, and the search for freedom. Employing feminist and postcolonial frameworks, including theories by Butler, Ahmed, Gilmore, Trouillot, Mohanty, Royster and Kirsch, the research uncovers layers of personal and collective struggle in both works. By situating these narratives within their specific socio-political contexts, the study illuminates how women’s voices can serve as powerful tools for resistance and cross-cultural understanding. This comparative approach contributes to literary, gender, and postcolonial studies by underscoring the transformative power of women’s narratives in shaping cultural memory and identity under oppressive regimes.
Recommended Citation
Bayat Barooni, Arezoo, "Unsilencing and Laying Bare: A Comparative Study of Mother to Mother by Magona and Things I’ve Been Silent About by Nafisi." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2024.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses/292
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