Power and Displacement: En Route to Female Empowerment

Abstract

Empowerment and liberation are frequently associated with women portrayed in literature. In a significant body of literature in English, the acquisition of female liberation is depicted as a result of displacement. 'Displacement` is defined in this paper as 'leaving one`s own socio-cultural context in search of liberation`. This article explores the meaning of empowerment, in the context of its "root-concept”: gaining power and the varied definitions - depending on the context of the individual trajectories of protagonists. This article attempts to contest the dominant notion of attaining liberation through displacement as portrayed in the selected literature. The novel 'Jasmine` by Bharati Mukherjee, an Indian diasporic writer, will be scrutinized as a background study. The short story, 'A Bird of Paradise` written by a Sri Lankan diasporic writer, Chithra Fernando, will be juxtaposed against 'Jasmine` to prove that displacement does not always bring about empowerment as shown through Rupa`s quest for liberation through displacement. This article also highlights the interdependencies, tensions, societal norms and expectations, as well as obligations as depicted within the world of the story. The short story, 'The Breast Giver` written by a Bengali Indian writer, Mahesweta Devi, is analyzed alongside this text to show that although 'Jashoda` does not leave her own sociocultural context, she gains mobility from the periphery of the socio-cultural circle to the centre. However, her liberation is rather superficial as her attempt to gain agency further ensnares her; this provides the medium for my secondary argument regarding varied definitions of 'female liberation.` I argue that 'female liberation` is not always brought about as a result of displacement and that 'empowerment` can have different meanings to different individuals dependent on their personality, educational background, cultural influences, family structures and the larger socio-cultural contexts. In conclusion, this paper will critically challenge the belief that female liberation is achieved through severing one`s bonds and leaving behind one`s obligations while contributing towards reframing the perception of empowerment in order to move beyond 'catchphrases`.