Subalternidade e gênero em A distância entre nós e O segredo entre nós, de Thrity Umrigar

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to comparatively analyze two novels by Thrity Umrigar, The distance between us (2006) and The secret between us (2018a), in order to verify how they fictionalize female subalternity in contemporary India. To this end, we traced a methodological path that, starting from Post-Colonial Theory, Subaltern Studies and the decolonial perspective, allowed us to reflect on the effects of English colonization on post-independence Indian society, as well as on the complexity of identity issues within the context of ethnic-religious and linguistic plurality in India. Bearing in mind that the novels are led by female characters, a brief theoretical retrospective of the Feminist Movement and its repercussions on the Indian subcontinent are essential, as well as a reflection on the social condition of Indian women. Regarding the issue of subalternity and female identity, the research is based, in particular, on theoretical texts by Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths e Helen Tiffin (1989), Gayatri Spivak (2010), Homi Bhabha (2019), Thomas Bonnici (2009), Luciana Ballestrin (2013) and Denys Cuche (1999), among others. The issue of gender has as a priority theoretical support texts by Elaine Showalter (1985), Sita Raman (2009), Rekha Pande (2018) and Lucia Zolin (2009).