Reconstruction of Identities in Hamid's ‘Exit West’: Pakistani Women in Transition

Abstract

The present study focuses on investigating the transition in females’ sexual and gender roles as well as in their language use (assertive, unmitigated, and direct) in Pakistani society with the help of Hamid’s (2017) wonderful novel ‘Exit West’, which was listed for Man’s Booker Prize award. This research, therefore, analyzes the discourse of the novel keeping in view the cultural-shift in Pakistan about female transition, fluidity, the reappraisal of sexuality and language with the application of postmodern feminist theory proposed by Butler(1991,1996), who believes that gender and language are performative.The study’s data analysis concludes that Pakistani women are reshaping their identities, roles, positions, responsibilities, sexuality, and language. They are in the process of transition, fluidity, and cultural-shift through the main female protagonist of the novel. The study, highly recommends to the future researchers to research this area; language, sexuality, and gender, the relationship among these factors in reshaping the roles and identities of modern Pakistani women and the cultural-shift as most of the women are entering show-biz, games asa wrestler, footballer –cricketers, jobs, going abroad for higher studies, in the public sphere as writers and many other fields of life.