A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Gendered Violence in the Noor Mukadam Case

Abstract

This paper explores the construction of gendered violence alongside patriarchy and resistance of Noor Mukadam in the Pakistani media context, law and public discourse. Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) is followed to highlight the role that different types of communication play in shaping public discourse about violence against women, and, at the same time, offers insights into the influence on understandings of blame, justice and responsibility. Responses included victim-blaming, making moral judgments, justifying the offender's actions and/or using soft or indirect language to describe violence. A qualitative method is employed to study court decisions, media, opinion articles, social media. The discourse of media and the public presents stereotypical expectations about how women do and should behave, and their moral and social role. The study also uncovers the emergence of feminist counter-discourses. The stories are counter-hegemonic, do not record the "victim" as being responsible and call for accountability and structural change. They also represent the social media as a significant area of feminist resistance and collective voice. The outcomes reveal not only that the legal institutions may at times achieve legal justice but that dominant discursive and cultural norms in many instances can scurries inequalities towards gender. Overall, this research argues that gender-based violence is not simply a physical issue but also a discursive one, that comes into play when a language, ideology and power dynamics between men and women in Pakistan. This research highlights the importance of critically discussing the media, legal system and societal portrayals of violence against women and aims to dismantle sexualized stereotypes and create more equitable and just reporting.