Gender-Based Violence in Contemporary Digital Graphic Narratives From India

Abstract

This paper analyzes representations of gender-based violence in recent digital graphic narratives from India. Focusing on rape in Priya’s Shakti (2014) and on acid attacks in the 2016 sequel, Priya’s Mirror, I argue that these two texts attempt to promote gender empowerment in their portrayal of Priya as a positive role model in the fight for gender equality. The texts show that the power to change attitudes resides in human beings but can only be achieved through the intervention of non-human beings and supernatural powers. I situate Priya’s Shakti and Priya’s Mirror in their contemporary context of other digital narratives on gender-based violence to analyze the two didactic narratives as products within the growing field of the digital humanities. Through their easy accessibility online, the narratives feed into the post-2012 Delhi rape “hype” as Priya is marketed as a champion of women’s rights.

Keywords:

• Gender-based violence
• India
• graphic narratives
• digital fiction

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jana Fedtke

Jana Fedtke is Assistant Professor of English at the American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). Her research and teaching interests include transnational literatures with a focus on South Asia, gender studies, and postcolonial literatures. Dr. Fedtke’s work has been published in South Asian History and Culture, Asexualities: Feminist and Queer Perspectives, and South Asian Review (2015 co-edited special issue with Dr. Pranav Jani on “Borders, Boundaries, and Margins”).