Language, Gender and Ideology Constructions of Femininity for Marriage

This book explores multiple facets of femininity for marriage in India. Using language as an entry point, it looks at how and why media representations of gender identities are constructed the way they are. It works with a unique synthesis of second-wave feminist discourse and empirical linguistic research to look at how the social institution of marriage becomes the site of interaction between language, ideology, psyche and culture. This volume also brings together the personal histories and views of women who discuss how media, modernity and social norms shape their ideas about marriage and selfhood.Deconstructing perceptions of femininity in contemporary India, the book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of sociology, gender studies, linguistics, media and cultural studies and psychoanalysis.

Introduction 1. Gender, Feminism and Femininity 2. Critical Discourse Studies: Concepts and Tools 3. Consuming Brides: Discursive Construction in Matrimonial Advertisements 4. The Discourses of Bridal Care 5. Media, Discourse and Gender 6. Ideology, Femininity and Performativity: Bridal Psyche and Responses. Conclusion.

Saumya Sharma is Assistant Professor (linguistics) at the English and Foreign Languages University, Lucknow Campus, Lucknow, India. She was a guest faculty member at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur for a year, where she taught a course on composition and communication skills. She has published in the areas of English language teaching, stylistics and critical discourse analysis, and has authored the book Common Errors in Everyday English . Her research interests include examining the discourse-psychology interface, particularly gender issues, vocabulary teaching and critical pedagogy.