Published 2025-11-10
Keywords
- Cultural Marginalisation, Exclusion, Gender, Identity, Non-belonging, Transgender
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
A Revathi's autobiography Truth about me: A Hijra life story (2010) is a crucial text that narrates the complexities of hijra life, and highlights her contention with rigid heteronormative society. Her narrative is not merely an account of her defiance but also her strive for belongingness. This article is going to analyse the theme of non-belongingness in her text through the lens of Cultural marginalisation and Gender Identity struggle. Cultural marginalisation refers to the process by which certain groups or individuals are excluded from the mainstream cultural narrative due to power imbalances, pushed to the social periphery and denied access to resources, opportunities, or representation. This forced marginalisation leads to their gender identity struggle, where they will not be able to fit themselves in the society. Judith Butler’s notion of Performativity and Foucault’s idea of subjectivity, will be employed to understand the gender identity of Revathi. While focusing on how Revathi exhibits her emancipation through her writing, reflecting her capacity to withstand and transcend the adversities of oppression, this particular study will contribute to filling the lacuna in the nature of cultural and gender marginalisation and its effect on an individual's sense of belongingness.