Discourses of Marriage, Family Authority and Gender Ideology in How It Happened: a Critical Discourse Analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper focuses on the discourses of marriage, family authority and gender ideology which were explored in How It Happened by Shazaf Fatima Haider, using Fairclough's (1992, 1995, 2003) Three-Dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The study adopts a qualitative research design, and the novel is used as the main data source and textual extracts are textually selected based on the three research themes. Analysis examines the discourse at the textual, discursive practice, and social practice levels, and discusses discourses as they contribute to the construction and legitimation of sociocultural ideologies. The results show that marriage is mostly depicted as a family-based institution, which is influenced by tradition, religion and collective honour, with family authority being further asserted by the prevailing discourse of ‘elders' and the normalization of obedience. The study also confirms that gender ideology prescribes women to be the ones who are obedient, modest and family oriented while men are given a relatively higher social agency and authority. The novel, however, also offers nuanced defiances, corresponding to the shifts in attitudes to marriage, gender and personal liberty among the younger generation. Finally, the study finds that How It Happened reinscribes and challenges patriarchal discourses; it depicts the Pakistani society as a dynamic environment in which the traditional discourses and values are being constantly challenged by the modern aspirations. The results enrich Pakistan's literary criticism through a focus on discourse as a mechanism for the construction of cultural identities and social relations.
Institutions: University of Okara, Minhaj University Lahore
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204043784