Silence as a Form of Resistance: The Feminine in Banu Mushtaq’s Short Story Collection Heart Lamp

Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp (2025), a collection of twelve short stories translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, offers a profound exploration of Muslim women’s lives in Karnataka, India. This research paper investigates silence as a strategic form of resistance, analysing how Mushtaq’s female characters employ it to challenge patriarchal, religious, and socio-economic oppression. Utilising a feminist framework, including Judith Butler’s performativity, Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s postcolonial insights, and Gayatri Spivak’s subaltern theory, the study employs qualitative methods—close textual analysis and thematic coding—to interpret the narratives. Findings reveal that silence is a deliberate act of defiance, enabling women to assert agency, preserve dignity, and foster intergenerational resilience. The paper situates Heart Lamp within the ‘Kannada Bandaya’ movement, highlighting its contribution to feminist literature. By redefining silence as empowerment, Mushtaq challenges stereotypes of Muslim women, offering a nuanced critique of gendered power dynamics. This study underscores the transformative potential of silence in marginalised communities, advocating for its recognition in global feminist discourse and regional literary traditions.