Performative Gender Dynamics in Bangabandhu’s 7th March Speech: A Butlerian Analysis of Nationalist Rhetoric

Juairia Hossain; Mohammad Rahmatullah; Mohammad Jashim Uddin

doi:10.18535/sshj.v8i07.1186

Abstract

This study interrogates the performative construction of gender in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's seminal 7th March Speech through the theoretical lens of Judith Butler's performativity. By dissecting the speech's language and narrative strategies, this research elucidates how masculinities and femininities are enacted, subverted, and reinforced within the nationalist discourse. The analysis reveals that Bangabandhu’s rhetoric not only galvanized a collective struggle for liberation but also intricately wove gender identities into the fabric of the nationalist movement. This dual focus provides critical insights into the speech's role in shaping societal norms and gender relations, offering practical implications for contemporary political rhetoric and advocacy for gender inclusivity.

Keywords

PerformativityGender ConstructionNationalist RhetoricJudith ButlerBangabandhu SheikhMujibur Rahman

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[refR-1] Ahmed, Rashid. Bangladesh Liberation War: The Untold Story. Penguin, 2018.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-2] Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, 1990.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-3] Butler, Judith. “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Theatre Journal, vol. 40, no. 4, 1988, pp. 519-531.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-4] Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex". Routledge, 1993.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-5] Gandhi, Indira. “True Liberation of Women.” Selected Speeches and Writings of Indira Gandhi, vol. 3, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 1980, pp. 85-90.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-6] Gandhi, Mahatma. “Quit India.” Selected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 6, Navajivan Publishing House, 1942.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-7] Geertz, Clifford. “Blurred Genres: The Refiguration of Thought.” Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology, Basic Books, 1983, pp. 19-35.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-8] King, Martin Luther, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World, edited by James M. Washington, HarperCollins, 1992, pp. 101-106.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-9] Salih, Sara. Judith Butler. Routledge, 2002.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-10] Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. “Can the Subaltern Speak?” Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, edited by Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg, University of Illinois Press, 1988, pp. 271-313.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-11] Turner, Victor. Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society. Cornell University Press, 1974.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-12] Wilshire, Bruce. Role Playing and Identity: The Limits of Theatre as Metaphor. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981.Google Scholar ↗