GENDERING MULTIPLE IDENTITIES: A PERFORMATIVITY ANALYSIS OF MARIAM NAWAZ'S SPEECHES IN PAKISTANI POLITICS

Abstract

This qualitative study delves into the performative aspects of Mariam Nawaz's speeches, exploring how she constructs and reinforces her identities as a politician, woman, and member of the Sharif family in Pakistani politics, guided by Judith Butler's performativity theory, which examines her publicly available speeches, interviews, and statements from 2013 to 2024. The research aims to investigate how Mariam Nawaz performs and negotiates multiple identities, including gender, political, and cultural identities, in her speeches, and how her speeches challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles and expectations in Pakistani politics. Through a critical discourse analysis approach, the study identifies key themes in Mariam Nawaz's speeches, revealing that she performs and negotiates multiple identities, including leader, visionary, advocate for women's rights, and defender of democracy. The study contributes to the existing literature on women in politics, highlighting the importance of examining the performative aspects of female politicians' speeches, and recommends future research on the performative aspects of male politicians' speeches in Pakistan and a comparative analysis of female politicians' speeches across different cultural contexts.