Ideological Duplicity Regarding Gender Role Reversal in Pakistani Society

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Drama Serial Bakhtawar

Abstract

One of the subfields of applied linguistic studies is critical discourse analysis. Critical discourse analysis is growing quickly in sophistication. Numerous specialists, such Teun A. van Dijk and Norman Fairclough, investigate, describe, and explain the essence of discourse analysis and even critical discourse analysis. Along with discussing language topics, van Dijk's theory places a greater emphasis than previous theories on social issues, condemns social gatherings, and all issues that arise in social life. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the gender role reversal in Pakistani Society and unacceptance of females doing something out of norm or tradition. This paper analysis how people having male dominant society react to them and why females cannot do anything reverses to their gender. Bakhtawar drama serial portrays gender role reversal and nuances. This research discusses the duplicity of unacceptance of gender role reversal in Pakistani society. This study shows that how women is being portrayed in dramas or how women treated in patriarchal society. How women suffer in male dominant societies where she faces harassment especially when a single woman is only bread winner of her house or family. This study also shows that how women struggle in her life in which she has no male at home and how she faces challenges that are given by patriarchal society. This research is highly qualitative. Qualitative research is synthetic or holistic. This research is to discover phenomena such as pattern of behaviors not previously described and to understand them from the perspective of participants in the activity. The sample of this study 25 episodes of Bakhtawar drama. Each episode consists of 36 to 38 minutes. Data collected through YouTube 25 episodes downloaded and relevant scenes/ visuals and dialogues have been transcribed. The study has been analyzed by CDA model of Van Dijk. CDA model of Van Dijk has been introduced in 1995. This model says that cognition and social levels both are important. Van Dijk focuses on the structure and mental awareness of text or speech producers. Van Dijk argues that participate of communicative situations for an effective interaction need to read each other’s mind in a metaphorical sense. Results through Critical Discourse Analysis model of Van Dijk showed that almost all aspects of a woman’s life personal, social, religious, economic and political in Bakhtawar drama serial continued to be influenced by the mainstream honor discourses and therefore, contribute to the construction of a specific kind of a feminist and males dominancy on screen. The struggle that women who lack male support confront, particularly in this region of the world, is a terrible reality that is vividly shown in the drama serial, ‘Bakhtawar’ being aired.