Gendered Subalternity and the Politics of Quiet Resistance: A Study of Female Agency in Bitter Wormwood by Easterine Kire

This paper examines the portrayal of gender roles in Easterine Kire’s Bitter Wormwood, focusing on the nuanced depictions of Naga women within the narrative dominated by political conflict and masculine violence. The novel primarily follows Mose’s story against the backdrop of political strife; the female characters serve as moral anchors and bearers of cultural memory, often navigating their roles within patriarchal structures with resilience and quiet agency. By juxtaposing the overt masculinity of political resistance with the understated influence of women in the domestic and communal spheres, this study posits that Kire subtly critiques and redefines gendered power in Naga society. The paper also explores the absence of female political voices and the implications of this silence in the broader narrative of identity and resistance. These explorations will draw on postcolonial feminist theory, particularly Gayatri Spivak’s concept of the subaltern.