Authors retain the copyright without restrictions for their published content in this journal. HSSR is a SHERPA ROMEO Green Journal.
Publishing License
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of
Gender Performativity in Perumal Murugan’s Estuary
Corresponding Author(s) : R Mizpah
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 10 No. 1 (2022): January
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The study aims to trace how the author has portrayed the characters in ways that they perform in specific ways to generate various effects that determine their gender roles. It aims to map gender performativity in the novel Estuary by close reading and analysing the acts and dialogues of the characters from a cultural context.
Methodology: Qualitative analysis of the text was done to derive the findings. The text was subjected to close reading. The points relevant to the concept of gender performativity were highlighted using a pencil. The points were neatly organized and classified using a notebook. The points were developed into an essay by using critical thinking. Views from other disciplines such as psychology are incorporated making the study an interdisciplinary one.
Main Findings: Though Perumal Murugan alters the stereotypical gender roles of Meghas’ parents at specific points in the novel, he reinforces them a more significant number of times than when he changes them. With his sarcasm as a tool, he supports Kumarasurar and Mangasuri as typical Indian parents of the 21st century, thereby stereotyping them in the novel.
Applications of the study: This study will be useful in the fields of gender studies, cultural studies, domestic studies, the study of 21st century Tamil culture, South Asian studies, South Indian culture, etc.
Novelty/Originality of the study: The study jots down the various ways in which gender is performed by a typical Tamil couple. Translated Tamil novels are rarely studied using the emerging literary theories including gender performativity. As the present analysis of the novel breaks down how gender is performed by the characters, it contributes to the field of gender studies as well as research on Tamil novels translated to English.
Keywords
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
- All Answers Ltd. (2021, December 31). Theory of gender performativity. UK Essays. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-literature/theory-of-gender-performativity-english-literature-essay.php
- Barad, K. (2003). Posthumanist Performativity: Toward an Understanding of How Matter Comes to Matter. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 28(3), 801–831. https://doi.org/10.1086/345321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/345321
- Butler, J. (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, 40(4), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893
- Cook, J., & Hasmath, R. (2014). The discursive construction and performance of gendered identity on social media. Current Sociology, 62(7), 975–993. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114550008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114550008
- de Souza, B. (2020). Gender Performativity, Queer Sexualities and Fictional Representation in Selected Short Stories from Malawi and Uganda. Journal of Humanities, 28(1), 1–18.
- Detter, I. (2019). GRIN - Traditional Gender Roles and Performative Gender in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Sexy.†GRIN. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.grin.com/document/509601
- Guanio-Uluru, L. (2015). Female Focalizers and Masculine Ideals: Gender as Performance in Twilight and The Hunger Games. Children’s Literature in Education, 47(3), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-015-9263-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-015-9263-1
- He, L. (2017). The Construction of Gender: Judith Butler and Gender Performativity. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 124, 682–685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/iccessh-17.2017.166
- Jones, J. (2018, February 7). Theorist Judith Butler Explains How Behavior Creates Gender: A Short Introduction to “Gender Performativity.†Open Culture. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://www.opencult ure.com/2018/02/judith-butler-on-gender-performativity.html
- Mambrol, N. (2016, October 10). Judith Butler’s Concept of Performativity. Literary Theory and Criticism. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://literariness.org/2016/10/10/judith-butlers-concept-of-performativity/
- Meyerhoff, M. (2015). Gender performativity. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118896877.wbiehs178
- Morgenroth, T., & Ryan, M. K. (2018). Gender Trouble in Social Psychology: How Can Butler’s Work Inform Experimental Social Psychologists’ Conceptualization of Gender? Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.or g/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01320 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01320
- Murugan, Perumal. (2020). Estuary (Nandini Krishnan, Trans.). Westland Publications Private Limited.
- Priya, T., & Panniko, D. (2018). Production of Gender: A Study on Performativity in Female-To-Male Transsexuals. Masculinities & Social Change, 7(3), 255–278. https://doi.org/10.17583/mcs.2018.3607 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17583/mcs.2018.3607
- Rosa, C. E. D., & Felipe, J. (2021). Gender Performativity Seen Through the Eyes of Children: a drag queen mediates literary encounters. Revista Brasileira de Estudos Da Presença, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-2660100183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-2660100183
- Sadjadi, B., & Hojabri, S. (2019). Gender, Performativity, and Agency in Virginia Woolf: A Butlerian Reading of Orlando. Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 22(4), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.5782/2223-2621.2019.22.4.5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5782/2223-2621.2019.22.4.5
- Slezek, J. (2018, June). The Eternal Rehearsal: Judith Butler ’s Gender Performativity in Wilkie Collins, Sarah Waters, and Tana French. https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1632&context=theses
- Ton, J. T. (2018, June). Judith Butler’s Notion of Gender Performativity: To What Extent Does Gender Performativity Exclude a Stable Gender Identity? http://14.139.53.35:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle /1/5557/Gender%20and%20Feminism.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
- van den Broek, R. (2019, August). Gender Performativity and Societal Boundaries: an Analysis of NW and How to be Both Through the Lens of Judith Butler’s Theory. https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/12345678 9/8356/Broek%2C_R.M._van_den_1.pdf?sequence=1
- Wight, J. (2011). Facing Gender Performativity: How Transgender Performances and Performativity Trouble Facework Research. Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research, 10, 73–90.
- Wikipedia contributors. (2021, December 9). Gender performativity. Simple English Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_performativity
References
All Answers Ltd. (2021, December 31). Theory of gender performativity. UK Essays. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-literature/theory-of-gender-performativity-english-literature-essay.php
Barad, K. (2003). Posthumanist Performativity: Toward an Understanding of How Matter Comes to Matter. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 28(3), 801–831. https://doi.org/10.1086/345321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/345321
Butler, J. (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, 40(4), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893
Cook, J., & Hasmath, R. (2014). The discursive construction and performance of gendered identity on social media. Current Sociology, 62(7), 975–993. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114550008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114550008
de Souza, B. (2020). Gender Performativity, Queer Sexualities and Fictional Representation in Selected Short Stories from Malawi and Uganda. Journal of Humanities, 28(1), 1–18.
Detter, I. (2019). GRIN - Traditional Gender Roles and Performative Gender in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Sexy.†GRIN. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.grin.com/document/509601
Guanio-Uluru, L. (2015). Female Focalizers and Masculine Ideals: Gender as Performance in Twilight and The Hunger Games. Children’s Literature in Education, 47(3), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-015-9263-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-015-9263-1
He, L. (2017). The Construction of Gender: Judith Butler and Gender Performativity. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 124, 682–685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/iccessh-17.2017.166
Jones, J. (2018, February 7). Theorist Judith Butler Explains How Behavior Creates Gender: A Short Introduction to “Gender Performativity.†Open Culture. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://www.opencult ure.com/2018/02/judith-butler-on-gender-performativity.html
Mambrol, N. (2016, October 10). Judith Butler’s Concept of Performativity. Literary Theory and Criticism. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://literariness.org/2016/10/10/judith-butlers-concept-of-performativity/
Meyerhoff, M. (2015). Gender performativity. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118896877.wbiehs178
Morgenroth, T., & Ryan, M. K. (2018). Gender Trouble in Social Psychology: How Can Butler’s Work Inform Experimental Social Psychologists’ Conceptualization of Gender? Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.or g/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01320 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01320
Murugan, Perumal. (2020). Estuary (Nandini Krishnan, Trans.). Westland Publications Private Limited.
Priya, T., & Panniko, D. (2018). Production of Gender: A Study on Performativity in Female-To-Male Transsexuals. Masculinities & Social Change, 7(3), 255–278. https://doi.org/10.17583/mcs.2018.3607 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17583/mcs.2018.3607
Rosa, C. E. D., & Felipe, J. (2021). Gender Performativity Seen Through the Eyes of Children: a drag queen mediates literary encounters. Revista Brasileira de Estudos Da Presença, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-2660100183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-2660100183
Sadjadi, B., & Hojabri, S. (2019). Gender, Performativity, and Agency in Virginia Woolf: A Butlerian Reading of Orlando. Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 22(4), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.5782/2223-2621.2019.22.4.5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5782/2223-2621.2019.22.4.5
Slezek, J. (2018, June). The Eternal Rehearsal: Judith Butler ’s Gender Performativity in Wilkie Collins, Sarah Waters, and Tana French. https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1632&context=theses
Ton, J. T. (2018, June). Judith Butler’s Notion of Gender Performativity: To What Extent Does Gender Performativity Exclude a Stable Gender Identity? http://14.139.53.35:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle /1/5557/Gender%20and%20Feminism.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
van den Broek, R. (2019, August). Gender Performativity and Societal Boundaries: an Analysis of NW and How to be Both Through the Lens of Judith Butler’s Theory. https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/12345678 9/8356/Broek%2C_R.M._van_den_1.pdf?sequence=1
Wight, J. (2011). Facing Gender Performativity: How Transgender Performances and Performativity Trouble Facework Research. Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research, 10, 73–90.
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, December 9). Gender performativity. Simple English Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_performativity