426992

Voice Representations in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane: An Islamic Feminist Approach

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Last updated: 11 May 2025

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Abstract

This paper investigates the representation of voice and the concept of Islamic feminism in Brick Lane (2003) by Monica Ali is a British-Pakistani writer of Bangladeshi and English descent. It examines how the protagonist, Nazneen, navigates across the cultural expected new cultural conditions imposed on her as a Bangladeshi immigrant living in London. By focusing exclusively on Nazneen's journey, the present research highlights the features and stages of development that occur in the personality of Nazneen within the frame of Islamic feminism. This certainly determines the course of her experience with alternative identity, freedom and oppression in the new homeland. As an intellectual critical reference, Islamic feminism is applied here to criticize and reevaluate the cultural misinterpretations of Islam that are often used to limit and control women's roles, both in domestic and public spheres. The analysis employs Stuart Hall's Representation Theory to investigate Monica Ali's portrayal of the intersection between religion and culture. The paper argues that the oppression experienced by Muslim women does not stem from Islam itself but rather from patriarchal and cultural practices within their communities. Through a detailed examination of the novel, this study contributes to feminist discourse, literature can be a platform for serious critical discussion and can, by necessity, reshape the transformation of Nazneen's character highlights the potential for self-empowerment and demand for female rights within the framework of Islamic feminism.

DOI

10.21608/opde.2025.426992

Keywords

culture, Identity, Stuart Hall’s Representation Theory, Gender, Islamic feminism

Authors

First Name

Yasmine Abdelmoneim Abdelwadood

Last Name

El-Banna

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Volume

89

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

55624

Issue Date

2025-01-01

Receive Date

2025-05-10

Publish Date

2025-01-01

Page Start

403

Page End

418

Print ISSN

1110-2721

Online ISSN

2735-3591

Link

https://opde.journals.ekb.eg/article_426992.html

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http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=426992

Order

16

Type

Original Article

Type Code

1,140

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

CDELT Occasional Papers in the Development of English Education

Publication Link

https://opde.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Voice Representations in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane: An Islamic Feminist Approach

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Article

Created At

11 May 2025