The Female Body and the Narratives

I like reading Liu’s essay which is about the female body and nationalism. It gives me idea how a female body can be connected to nationalism, particularly, during revolution. I think her method of analysis is useful to be employed while reading such novels in Bahasa, such as Gadis Pantai (the bay girl) written by Pramodya Ananta Toer. This novel tells about the oppressed woman who has to be married by a governor in order to bore his child. This novel attempts to criticize the social class during Dutch colonization in Indonesia.

A critical perspective is needed to discover how the author symbolizes female body in regard to revolution. Before reading Liu’s piece, I did not think about the symbolic meaning of “raped women”. It seems like she is a heroine who scarifies her body for her nation. But, after reading it, I understand that we should analyze deeply by questioning whether women have decision in define her body or not, because, it can be fallen to the meaning that actually the author uses the portrayal of “raped women” to romanticize and build a dramatic sense of the revolution.

Another essay is written by Alcarón, but I feel difficult to follow because I have no idea about the history of Mexico or Malintzin. But I agree that we also should deconstruct narratives that seem “pure and authentic” regarding the history of women. Those textual or oral narratives with their power and position often control human freedom to think and innovate. It is similar with some interpretations toward religious texts in which sometimes, in Muslim case, those interpretations become more powerful that the religious text itself

Sources:
Norma Alcaron, “Traddutora, Traiditora”
Lydia Liu, “The Female Body and Nationalist Discourse: The Field of Life and Death Revisited”
Mary Layoun, “The Female Body and 'Transnational' Reproduction; or, Rape by Any Other Name?"

_____________________