HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY: A GENERATIONAL ISSUE IN THE PRE AND POST-HISTORIC DOCUMENT OF PARTITION THE WEARY GENERATIONS BY ABDULLAH HUSSAIN

Abstract

This paper examines gender and power in the pre- and post-partition societies of subcontinent and afterwards in newly born country Pakistan by exploring the representation of hegemonic masculinity as a generational issue which highlights that not only women but men are also the victim of patriarchy. They are also marginalized by the so-called “macho” men trained by the cultural norms and traditions prevailing in the subcontinent; making them strong and unemotional nurturing them as societal beasts. The study is qualitative in nature whereas data has been collected from the trans-created novel of Abdullah Hussain, The Weary Generations with the close reading technique. The data has been analyzed by applying the lens of hegemonic masculinity, coined by R.W. Connell, which further raises the issue of “masculinity" as a source of marginalization of men along with women. This study investigates this “masculinity” (Connell,1987) as a  generational issue in pre and post history of partition of the subcontinent as presented in Abdullah Hussain’s novel which further elucidates a society that is strictly masculine and has an oppressing impact,  not only on  women but also men. The study concludes that the men who fails to meet the standard of manliness, generated by society, suffer the effects of patriarchy and lose their part of the life in the society in the long run as presented by the