INTERROGATING GENDER AND POWER: CRITICAL FEMINIST METHODOLOGIES IN ENGLISH LITERARY STUDIES

Abstract

This research article, titled Interrogating Gender and Power: Critical Feminist Methodologies in English Literary Studies, explores the nuanced interplay of gender and power as represented in select literary texts, including works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Bernardine Evaristo, and Brit Bennett. These authors’ narratives serve as rich sites for examining how literature reflects, critiques, and subverts patriarchal ideologies, contributing to a deeper understanding of gender dynamics and social structures.

The study's primary objective is to apply critical feminist methodologies to the analysis of these texts, focusing on how they construct or challenge gendered power relations. Drawing on interdisciplinary frameworks, including feminist criticism, post-structuralism, and intersectional theory, the research employs close textual analysis to interrogate themes of identity, oppression, and agency. By examining Adichie’s Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017), Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other (2019), and Bennett’s The Vanishing Half (2020), the study highlights the authors’ contributions to feminist discourse and their critiques of systemic power hierarchies.

Findings reveal that these texts resist and complicate patriarchal norms while offering transformative insights into identity and power. Adichie provides practical feminist strategies for modern society, Evaristo explores intersectionality and the interconnected lives of women across generations, and Bennett delves into racial and gender identity, emphasizing the societal constructs that shape personal and collective experiences. Together, these works illuminate the transformative potential of literature in reimagining societal norms and advancing inclusive feminist discourse.

The implications of this research extend beyond literary analysis, enriching discourses in cultural and gender studies. By foregrounding the works of diverse authors, the study

underscores the value of inclusive, intersectional, and reflexive approaches to literary scholarship, encouraging a more equitable engagement with texts and their cultural contexts.