Freedom versus Oppression: The Motif of Veil in Sabyn Javeri’s Hijabistan
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Date
2020
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Publisher
UMT Lahore
Abstract
This research examines Sabyn Javeri’s Hijabistan and contends that the concept of veil is
different in Hijabistan. Pakistani society is a male-oriented society and patriarchal values are
prevalent. Sabyn Javeri has tried to portray this scenario through her collection of short stories in
‘Hijabistan’. Though Javeri touches the topics of veiling, patriarchy and suppression in Pakistani
society, the main focus is circumstances in which the concept of male gaze is positioned. ‘The
Laugh of Medusa’ will be used to explicate the text. The research explores the urgency for
women to talk about their identities by using the weapon of writing. This research explores the
distinction in male and female voices in writing. It talks about the ways in which women are
suppressed through veil and their struggles to find their true identities. This research study also
paves the way for other women to have their opinions and freedom in all aspects of life. The
research study revolves around the ‘veiled identities’ of women who are considered as the
‘insignificant other’. In order to remove all the tags, Cixous and Javeri took a step to talk about
the identity of women and gave them a chance to project their suppressed voices through
writings. Javeri’s short stories inform the readers that hijab or veiling could be taken by different
individuals differently. Sometimes Hijab could be taken as a symbol of oppression but at other
times it can be a symbol of freedom. The study argues that Javeri’s veiled female characters are
both subjugated by the hijab as well as some of them find a freedom inside this traditional attire
which is akin to Cixous’ metaphor used in her seminal text.