Publication details
Breaking the Stereotypes : Gendered Violence in Katherena Vermette’s The Break
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The paper analyses the Canadian novel The Break (2016) by a Métis author Katherena Vermette that raises awareness about the systemic gendered violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada. By combining traditional elements from both Indigenous and Western cultures, the novel breaks cultural and linguistic boundaries as well as genre conventions. Part detective novel, part family saga written in a comprehensible linear narrative, the author tries to reach the widest audience possible in order to spread the novel’ s message. The paper argues that Vermette reappropriates the characteristics of Western literature in order to “write back” about discrimination in “the language of empire to rebut its dominant ideologies” (Yang), complying with John Yang’s definition of resistance literature. The novel breaks stereotypes held about Indigenous communities and gradually unmasks intergenerational effects of patriarchal colonialism and highlights that gendered violence needs to be addressed together with other problems of colonial nature that are plaguing Indigenous communities. Furthermore, it uncovers discriminatory institutional practices that perpetuate stereotypes and racism and exposes how authorities frequently blame the victim instead of the perpetrators. Finally, the paper posits that the novel portrays men as secondary figures in the female characters’ lives in order to challenge traditional family structures and to emphasize female strength and solidarity. Although the author affirms that gendered violence transgresses cultures and unites women of all backgrounds, the novel shows that Indigenous women are disproportionally affected and the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, and class are vital in determining a woman’ s vulnerability. |
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